September 10, 2006
Google Maps Mania
It's been about one year since Google Maps launched with its' open API and there are already hundreds of specialized "mash-ups" flooding the interweb. You can find "mash-ups" in all assorted flavors, from parking garages in New York to Fatal Crash Maps to Sex Offenders. A list of most of the Google mashed maps can be found on Google Maps Mania.
Posted by richard ting at September 10, 2006, 11:32 PM
August 30, 2006
Bikely
[via flavorpill]
As summer's sweltering heat subsides, the remaining long days and more temperate climes are perfect for a two-wheeled tour of the Big Apple. Instead of navigating the paved paths jammed with weekend warriors and rollerbladers, check out the roads less traveled on Bikely.com. Type in your location and Bikely finds rides from the Manhattan Bridge to Nyack, scenic jaunts through Rhinebeck and Red Hook. Avid globetrotting riders can also explore adventures through distant locales such as Japan and South Africa. Routes are conveniently linked to GoogleMaps and include descriptive tags, levels of difficulty, and downloadable .GPX versions. As registered pedal-pushers log in and contribute their favorite treks to Bikely's budding database, cyclists can find more bike-friendly beats at and away from home.
Posted by richard ting at August 30, 2006, 04:58 PM
June 13, 2006
Google Spreadsheets
[from mediapost]
IN A MOVE THAT GIVES consumers another reason to use Google for more than just Web searches, the company Tuesday released a spreadsheet program into a closed beta test. The new Google application not only allows users to post data to a Web-based spreadsheet, but also enables users to share the data with each other online, and to chat using Google Talk while editing the document. Users can then save the edits to a Google-hosted spreadsheet, or export them into an Excel format. Users can also upload spreadsheets in the Excel format to Google Spreadsheets, and have them converted.
The move, which clearly offers at least some competition to Microsoft's Excel program, also appears to reflect a broader Google strategy of convincing consumers to post data online.
Search expert Greg Sterling said the move reflects "a broader vision of utility." Google, he said, is "offering a suite of services that spans your own private data and public information online."
For now, the program doesn't carry any ads, but Google may be planning to monetize the spreadsheet program in the future. Google has previously released many products without an ad component--including Google Desktop, Gmail, and Google Earth--and later placed ads against them
Posted by richard ting at June 13, 2006, 01:20 PM
April 12, 2006
Platial - The People's Atlas
Platial enables anyone to find, create and use meaningful maps of Places that matter to them. The hope is to connect people, neighborhoods, cities and countries through a citizen-driven common context that goes beyond geopolitical boundaries.
Posted by richard ting at April 12, 2006, 12:10 PM
March 23, 2006
Google Finance
[from Mediapost]
Google's new finance site was unveiled on Tuesday. One of the most distinct features of the new Google Finance site is its incorporation of Flash technology to create more dynamic stock charts than those that are currently on Yahoo Finance. Google Finance visitors can chart the daily ups and downs of a particular market just by scrolling over its name. Likewise, they can chart a stock's trajectory over one to five days, one to six months, or several years by dragging a slider, which also determines related news headlines that appear next to the charts.
Google also offers users the ability to search for stock quotes either by a company's name or ticker symbol, while Yahoo requires users to use the ticker symbol. Google Finance users also have access to information on privately held companies, as well as blog posts from Blog Search and Google Group posts. "We consider the inclusion of blog posts to be a major added value for readers, helping them to understand why stocks are performing the way they are," said Google's Stanton.
