Google Acquires Keyhole Corp.

telstar writes "As part of their ever-expanding online presence, Google has acquired online map provider Keyhole Corp.. Keyhole's technology allows users to perform virtual flyovers of satellite imagery of the earth's surface. The immediate impact of this acquisition is a price drop in Keyhole's service charge. Beyond that, Google does 'not have any announced plans regarding how this technology will integrate with our current products and services.'"

Comments

Looks nicer than NASA's Worldwind :)

[morriscat69]

And I probably dont have to build a dual proc box to run it.

Google needs real competition

[stratjakt]

I know that, like Apple, they're a darling of the slashdot crowd. But unlike Apple, they are rapidly approaching a sort of online monopoly that we haven't seen before.

I don't care what they claim in their corporate mission statements. "Do no evil" my ass, I'm not stupid enough to take anything a bunch of suits say without a grain of salt. MSFT was an underdog with noble goals once upon a time.

Google's growth worries me, the way they seek to be the worlds largest advertising company worries me.

Re:Google needs real competition

[stratjakt]

Google's a corporation, corporations are neither good nor bad IMO, they're all alike, all about profit.

Google seems to be seeking to own every service the internet provides. That's what worries me. What happens when mapquest and competing search engines dry up? Google could easily impose on every netizen a "google tax".

Just because it's free now, doesn't mean they wouldn't exploit such a rich source of revenue, especially with no competition to undercut them.

It's not tinfoil hat time at all. It always worries me when a single entity gets so much control over a globally shared resource like the internet.

Re:Google needs real competition

[decipher_saint]

So start using another search engine, there are plenty out there. Invariably someone somewhere will design a better search algorythm and couple that with a simple / clean design and Google will join the ranks of hip search engines past.

Re:Who's going to register this domain?

[Blue-Footed Boobie]

No one, maybe because it would be stupid?

Now, GMap.com would amke much more sense.

Smart move by Google....

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Rest assured, Google has thought ahead. They do have geocoder type apps in the works and this is just a logical acquisition to make, ESPECIALLY when you're flush with cash (Don't forget their stock price has really climbed). After all, if you're going to use Google Local then you might want to provide a map.

Google + Maps = goodness

[xThinkx]

I can definitely see use for this, imagine googling your intended location "Jim's Steakhouse"

Not only could google give you the directions, but a map, a menu, and an aerial photo. Sometimes aerial photos are AMAZINGLY helpful. You can see tons of things not on maps such as:

• Where there's nearby parking (lots)
• How many lanes on the hiway (turn lanes too)
• Color of the building/surroundings, which really helps if you've never been there before
• Nearby landmarks (streams, forests, trees, big buildings)

I for one welcome our new google overlords.

show me how to get somewhere

[i88i]

id really like to see google put out a whereis.com-like service, except on a global scale. It'd really help out tourists and your average lost person.

Of course, that's prolly what GPS is for.

umm

[imranius]

if only the images were real time! How could would it be to google for available parking spaces on the block

keyhole?

[Anonymous Coward]

isnt keyhole the name of the series of american spy satellites? do the pictures come from them?

They should buy anything they can.

[ggruschow]

Who cares if it's irrelevant to their business?

Buying other companies is a way good way to sell your overvalued stock without notifying everyone that you think that the current price is a great sale.

They have a Trailing P/E of 225. That means their stock is trading for way way more than they're making. Compare it to someone like Amazon with ~1/5th of that, or GE with ~1/10th of that. Even their forward P/E (what they think they'll make in the future vs what their presently worth) is double Amazon's and triple GE's.

Re:Googleing for people!

[DAldredge]

Congress exempts Congress from most of the laws they pass. It will not apply to them.

Could be the Show of the Century

[serutan]

Google seems like a volcano about to erupt. Or maybe a sleeping tiger waking up. Whatever their plans are, I'm sure we will be in for quite a few changes in how we use the web, as well as and an entertaining show as the Empire panics and responds.

I repeat my earlier speculation that if Google releases its own Linux distro, with a custom desktop, integrated office suite and web functionality, they could end up Owning The World. Then maybe the sun would shine and the birds would sing, or would we all start hating Google and feeling sorry for MS?

Re:Could be the Show of the Century

[stratjakt]

Then maybe the sun would shine and the birds would sing, or would we all start hating Google and feeling sorry for MS?

The latter. Look at how the slashdot crowd sees IBM as the "good guys" these days. They have the longest history of evil-doing in the computing world. I remember quite clearly the geek community cheering MS for sticking it to IBM, and crushing OS/2 before it could even leave the gate.

Now that IBM seeks to exploit, err "embrace" linux, we act like they're being run by Care Bears or something.

For the record, I am leery of IBMs involvement in Open Source, and I see their goals as ultimately "owning" linux, insomuch as they can control where and how it's used. Whether they can pull that off or not is anyones guess.

Re:Could be the Show of the Century

[bushidocoder]

They're certainly in the right position to do it, but they need to smarten up FAST. All of their various products are related in theory, but from a technical perspective, there's no integration yet. There's no reason GMail and blogger aren't fully integrated yet, and no reason why Google Desktop Search can't include GMail and My Google News results.

I know it takes time to integrate Picasa to Blogger to Google Desktop Search to GMail, but they need to hurry - Google has been successful because Yahoo and Microsoft failed to realize the profit potential of search, but they've wisen up to that. MSN and Yahoo searches that rival Google are probably less than 2 to 3 years out, simply due to the sheer size of their research budgets, and both companies have an existing network of integrated products that gives them substantial value that Google doesn't have yet.

Microsoft plays catchup better than the Red Sox do - they may not be the most innovative bunch, but one thing you have to say about MS is that no company should feel safe when Microsoft has them in their sites. A brief history of Microsoft's battles with Sun, Borland, Apple, Sony and Netscape shows that when they stretch out their technical arm and marketing might, they can catch up to any product in two years time, and surpass in three unless the company they're chasing is moving forward like the very power of hell is bearing down on them.

Re:Neato

[MustardMan]

If you do a name, location search on google, you can often get as your first result a phonebook entry listing their number, home address, etc. A few clicks away you can usually see a satellite picture of said address. It was pretty creepy to put in nothing but my father's name and town, and be a couple clicks away from a satellite image of his house.

Re:CYBERSTALK!

[takeya]

I belive Microsoft was developing some things with them for longhorn. I remember an informational video about longhorn/upcoming tech and there was one for small businesses that included collaboration software and keyhole/microsoft map software that would let you track and see the stats of members of a team.

Re:No Mac version

[xp]

NASA has a similar application. It's not as sleek as keyhole; on the other hand it's free.

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