Google Maps

Google has made significant changes to the look and function of its Google Maps, which now uses the whole screen and ditches the service's familiar sidebar. The information that Google used to host on its sidebar is now more deeply integrated into maps, or right below the search bar that is now in the upper left-hand corner of the map. The service has not yet rolled out to the general public, though the company has started offering limited invitations for people who want to give the new layout a try. The new layout...

Talk of Google Glass was strangely absent from the company's marathon, three-hour keynote speech Wednesday, but the company shared news that it's working with major partners — including Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr — to offer more apps for the new gadget. In a session for Glass developers, Google also released some information on future plans for the device, such as streaming video. Along with the big social networks, the company's other partners in app development for Glass include the note-taking service...

The Google Maps team has set up a showcase for some of its favorite mashups from the 2008 US presidential election. Four of the mashups - Primary Results, Twitter, Search Queries, and Campaign Trail - were made by Google itself. The Primary Result mashup shows how states and districts across the country voted in the primaries. The Twitter mashup highlights political tweets as they pop up around the globe. Search Queries shows how geographical regions differ in how often they search for candidates' names.

This year's Google I/O keynote wasn't as flashy as years past, when new phones and tablets getting centerstage. But the company did drop several smaller nuggets at the conference, including new designs for Google Maps, a Spotify-like service and the announcement that users will be able to send money through Gmail. Those projects can seem disparate, but together they offer a larger picture of what Google' is aiming for — an all-in-one portal that addresses all our online needs by tapping into its enormous bank of...

Cowen & Co. , an industry analyst firm that specializes in covering Web services, released a statement today discussing its findings on the success of online mapping solutions. To no one's surprise, the analyst found that Google Maps is the de facto leader in the space, while its rivals, Yahoo Maps, MapQuest, and Live Search Maps have slipped well behind Google. According to the analyst, much of Google's success is due to the fact that its competitors simply don't have what it takes to keep pace.

Google is expected to launch a revamp of its Maps service at its I/O developers conference this week, and buzz is building about a redesign ahead of the company's opening keynote Wednesday afternoon. Rumors started percolating last week, when the Google-focused blog Google Operating System reported that the company would launch a more engaging, more social version of Maps. It would highlight a place a users' Google+ friends have mentioned in their feeds, in its directions results.

MAPme announced today that it has released a Google Maps widget that will let users perform tasks that they are already capable of performing with the run-of-the-mill Google Maps application, but will let them embed the flash app as a widget anywhere they can edit HTML, which should make frustrated Google Maps users happy. According to the company, the MAPme widget is a pure flash object that lets you add your own images or YouTube videos to your map's hotspots. And in case you need them, the widget lets you...

Sometimes there are many ways to get from point A to point B, whether you are walking or driving. Until now, Google Maps' directions feature has given you the route they consider the best and allows you to drag and drop the route to change your path. Today, Google Maps is adding functionality that suggests additional routes so that you can see all of them on the map for comparison. Under a "Suggested Routes" heading, you will now be able to access other routes to the same destination.

Google announced late Wednesday that its Maps app is back for the iPhone. Google Maps had been the default navigation service on the iPhone since the phone was first released in 2007. But earlier this year, Apple kicked the app off its mobile device and replaced it with its own mapping program, Maps. Many iPhone users balked at the notoriously inaccurate Apple navigation program and the loss of Google Maps, saying they would wait for Google to resubmit its app to the Apple store.

Henry Hudson never did find the Northwest passage to India, but this year marks the 400th anniversary of his third voyage?the one where he came to New York and sailed up what is now the Hudson River (he made it as far as modern-day Albany). Hudson showed that often it is what you stumble upon on your way to somewhere else that turns out to be your great discovery. To celebrate the anniversary, the Henry Hudson 400 Foundation has charted all of Hudson's voyages onto a Google map, along with overlays of historical maps.

May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. shares rose to a record after the company unveiled a subscription music-streaming service and overhauled its online maps, part of several product updates aimed at attracting more users and advertisers. The world's most popular search provider also showed off enhancements to the search engine, the Android mobile operating system, Glass computing spectacles and other initiatives at the I/O conference in San Francisco yesterday. By getting developers to write software for...

Google offered users a peek at the future of its Maps service Wednesday, announcing that it is giving the widely-used service a complete makeover, including bigger maps and more interactive features. The company's maps program has more or less become the standard for people trying to get from point A to point B in the Internet age. But the company is making drastic changes to the service's familiar layout and pulling in more information from other Google services. The Maps makeover was one of several products that Google...

Google announced a new music service on the first day of its annual developers' conference Tuesday, and the company's chief executive officer, Larry Page, answered questions from the audience in San Francisco. The subscription-based music service, Google Music All Access , will be similar to other platforms already online: The service, which lets users listen to tracks on demand and forms "stations" of related songs as you listen, will cost $9.99 per month. Early users, who sign on to...

GOOGLE THIS: Google's stock topped $900 as the tech giant unveiled a music streaming service and a new Google Maps. Google's stock is up 50 percent over the past year. APPLE: Apple's stock took a sudden turn lower after reports said that a hedge fund run by the billionaire David Tepper slashed its holdings in the tech company. FINAL SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 60.44 points to close at 15,275.69, an increase of 0.4 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 8.44 points to...

Google has made significant changes to the look and function of its Google Maps, which now uses the whole screen and ditches the service's familiar sidebar. The information that Google used to host on its sidebar is now more deeply integrated into maps, or right below the search bar that is now in the upper left-hand corner of the map. The service has not yet rolled out to the general public, though the company has started offering limited invitations for people who want to give the new layout a try. ...

Google is expected to launch a revamp of its Maps service at its I/O developers conference this week, and buzz is building about a redesign ahead of the company's opening keynote Wednesday afternoon. Rumors started percolating last week, when the Google-focused blog Google Operating System reported that the company would launch a more engaging, more social version of Maps. It would highlight a place a users' Google+ friends have mentioned in their feeds, in its directions results.

Checking out the interior of a business on Google Maps just got a bit easier . The company now has markers on its maps that show you where and how you can virtually get inside your favorite shops. Last October we reported that Google Maps now let you travel beyond the front doors of a store and into the actual establishment. Participating businesses invited Google's photographers to come in and do a photo shoot of their location. The photo is a panoramic view of the business interior, and in good Google fashion, all...

Google Maps has just launched a new and nifty feature: suggestions of similar places to your search query in maps. So if you search for Best Buy in your designated area, Maps will suggest (in the more information tab) nearby businesses and places that might be of interest to you, such as other Best Buy stores in the area. Apparently, suggestions to places aren't based on a specific characteristic. Google uses a "broad set of signals" to deliver recommendations. Google says they are working on...

SAN FRANCISCO — Google's sixth annual conference for software developers opened Wednesday with a chance for the company to showcase its latest services. Announcements included new features for online games, maps and search, a new music-streaming service and enhancements to its Google Plus social network, including tools for editing and sharing photos. The audience of about 6,000 people at "Google I/O" included engineers and entrepreneurs who develop applications and other features...

Dear Dr. Gridlock: You mentioned MapQuest and Google Maps as allowing users to drag mapped routes in different positions to see alternatives. I'm writing to share with you that Bing Maps also does this, plus offers traffic on the map showing flow and incident data (red equals bad; green equals good). Plus, Bing has Streetside, as well as bird's-eye views offering different ways for users to visualize data. It's a very easy alternative, one that I use quite often, and so I...