Google Maps Now Indoors
Google has announced an exciting update to their Google Maps application. They now have the ability to map indoors. Check this quick video intro.
Google says its been able to fine tune the location based services it uses for mapping. Namely, GPS, Cell Towers, and WiFi Hotspots. Google claims they do not require the location to add any new hardware. Detailed floor plans automatically appear when they are available. You are highlighted with the familiar blue dot.
Comparison of Mall of America Before and After Google Maps Indoors
This is very exciting and the applications can be really useful:
- Airports: Helps you find your gate, your check-in counter, and the snack bars
- Schools: Helps you find your class
- Malls: Never need to find the mall directory again, easier to find right parking near the entrance you want
Take a look at how it works for IKEA.
Initially, this is available for large airports and retailers in US and Japan. But if you are a business owner and is interested in getting your floorplan to Google, you can submit it to maps.google.com/floorplans
The app is also initially available for Web and Android only with no announcements yet if Google will let Apple have it.
List of Google Maps Indoors Floorplans
United States
- Akron-Canton Airport (CAK)
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
- Boise International Airport (BOI)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- George Bush Houston International Airport (IAH)
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
- Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- DDR Corp. shopping centers in Puerto Rico, including Plaza del Atlántico in Arecibo, Plaza del Sol in Bayamon, Plaza Rio Hondo in Bayamon, Plaza del Norte in Hatillo, Plaza Palma Real in Humacao and Senorial Plaza in Rio Piedras
- Vallco Shopping mall in Cupertino, CA
- Brixmor Property Group including Eagle Rock Plaza in Los Angeles, CA
- Mall of America
- Macy’s*
- Bloomingdale’s*
- Home Depot*
- Ikea*
*Various locations
Japan
- Narita International Airport
- Haneda Airport, International Terminal
- Haneda Airport, Domestic Terminal
- JR East in Tokyo and Chiba (main stations)
- Tokyu Corporation (main stations)
- Tokyo Midtown
- Daimaru
- Matsuzakaya
- Tokyu
- Mitsukoshi
- Takashimaya
- Odakyu
- Isetan
- Keio
- Matsuya
- Seibu
- Tobu
- Printems Ginza
- Marui
- Marunouchi Building
- Shin-Marunouchi Building
- Marunouchi OAZO
- Marunouchi BRICK SQUARE
- TOKIA Tokyo Building
- Shibuya 109
- 109 MEN’S
- Miraikan
- Roppongi Hills
- Venus Fort
- Tokyu Hands Ikebukuro
- DECKS TOKYO BEACH
- remy gotanda
- LaLa port TOYOSU
- The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
Indoor Maps is available for your Android 2.2 or above device in Google Maps for mobile version 6.0 or above.
Google+ (Google Plus) Invite and First Look
Google+ is out for a few weeks now and I recently had my chance to get an invite and do a quick review. Google+ is the newest social networking platform launched by Google after a few failed projects with Google Wave and Google Buzz. This new platform seems to hold more water and promise but the question remains if people will be making the switch from Facebook.
The way Google is launching this new platform is like what they did with gmail— via invites from people you know. Once you are invited, you can invite other people too. So whoever wants an invite, just leave a comment with your email and I will send you one.
There are 3 new things that makes Google+ significantly different from Facebook:
- Circles
- Hangouts
- Sparks
I’ll get to each one later with more detail. Here is the welcome screen after your initial account sign-up. (Click on image to enlarge)
Its a great page to start with and it tells you quickly what the 3 new things are.
CIRCLES
It lets you group your social networking contacts. The idea is you may have a group of friends from work, your family, and maybe your gym buddies. Your friends may not be interested in your family photo and your mom may not be interested in the latest protein shake flavors. Circles lets you group people into “circles” and whenever you share something, you can define to share it to only a specific circle, multiple, or all. This way, your shares are relevant to the people you are sharing with. A contact may belong in one or as many circles as you group them in and all your circles are private. People will know that you added them to a circle but they are never told what the label is.
Here is a quick video by Google:
Here is the interface of how you can manage your circles.
HANGOUTS
This feature is very interesting. It lets you create an online “hangout” where people and contacts can just drop in. Using webcam and mics, you can just discover who among your friends has a hangout and just drop in to chat. Its very cool as you never know who is around and lets you meet and talk to people who you might not otherwise. Say your high school buddies have all grown up, gotten married, and now lives in different part of the globe. Hangout lets you casually create rooms where you could just chat casually without the frills of setting up a web conference or anything tedious as that. It worked right into your social network. Pretty cool.
Here is the Google video:
SPARKS
Sparks is a customized newstream, by choosing topics, browsing posts, Google+ identifies the topics you may be interested in and then searches what other people with the same interest found appealing and showing them to you. Its a fun way to discover. Just like you have your own assistant that knows what you love and care about and lets the content come to you.
Here is the video:
Google+ is similar to facebook in so many ways, here is your user dashboard after you login. It feels very comfortable right off the bat and there is the thing you need to get a good grasp on is circles and how the privacy of sharing is done in context. You choose what circles you want to share to and the privacy is built in right there.
Here’s a screen.
CONCLUSION
There you have it, at first glance, Google+ seems promising. Its fresh, new, and very user friendly. However, for a social platform to take off, there has to be people using it. It remains to be seen if people will be switching from Facebook just like they did from Friendster to Facebook.
Most of my contacts in Google+ are my tech friends who are early adopters and somehow mostly male. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is a good time to try, just leave a comment on this post with your email and I can send an invite your way. Cheers, thanks for reading.
Hello,
