Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google Launches Mapping Service

Posted by timothy on from the wherefore-art-thou-peggy-marfori? dept.

Alex Reynolds writes "The beta version of Google Maps is now online, offering an alternative to Mapquest with what some might describe as a very much improved user interface, offering a cleaner layout, drop shadows, clickable waypoints and keyboard controls that allow you to move and zoom the map. For IE and Firefox/Mozilla at this point (no Safari or Opera support, as yet)."

7 of 889 comments (clear)

  1. Forget IE/Firefox etc... by Goose+In+Orbit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What about the rest of the planet?

    1. Re:Forget IE/Firefox etc... by DarkSarin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      don't forget about Israel.

      Sorry folks, though, I just DON'T have much sympathy on this point. Here's why: the US has a NUMBER of mapping services, and extensive maps available at this time. Although very us-centric, Google knows their audience, and will probably put maps for other parts of the world on localized versions of the site (eg, maps.google.co.uk or mapas.google.pt). That would make much more sense than trying to give a map for the entire world on a single page.

      Second, this is still only BETA. It is GOOD, but it is only BETA. Expect additional countries to surface as it approaches full utility.

      Finally, Google IS a US-based country. It wouldn't make much sense for them to start with Ethopia, now would it? Should they have included Canada or Mexico? Perhaps, but what they have is pretty impressive as it is. Give them TIME.

      --
      "We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
    2. Re:Forget IE/Firefox etc... by huge+colin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Better than this US-only shit..."

      <sarcasm>
      Yes, I'm sure the maps are US-only for awful, vindictive reasons, and not because of simple economics.
      </sarcasm>

      Grow up.

    3. Re:Forget IE/Firefox etc... by hcob$ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Somehow, I think Google wants to start with maps of the US since it costs less to store just US data, and they now have shareholders(with shares going $200+ per pop) to answer to. I wouldn't be suprised if they expanded later on to include more of the world, but come on. It's just good business sense to test the waters with relatively cheap product that develop the super product that costs way too much to manufacuture and no one would use ALL the features.

      --
      Cliff Claven
      K.E.G. Party Chairman
      Founding Leader of: Koncerned for Egalitarin Governance
    4. Re:Forget IE/Firefox etc... by HeghmoH · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What the hell is wrong with you people? It's new, it's beta and it's made by an American company. It's not going to shine your shoes and make you coffee on the first day it's out there. It's an incredibly cool app, and I'm sure they'll expand its scope in the future.

      --
      Mod down posts with a "Free Mac Mini/iPod" sig, they're spam!
  2. Re:And its only beta! by Donatas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they achieve this by using XMLHttpRequest to make requests to the server and get back results via JavaScript. That's why dragging works so great... they do requests to get IDs of new images to show an dthen they start opening them.

  3. When is someone going to integrate mass transit? by Kevin+Stevens · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The biggest missing feature of all the mapping services I have seen is the lack of integrating mass transit.

    I live in NYC, and whenever I am going somewhere, I usually pull out mapquest to find the address (cross streets) and then sit there with a subway/bus map to try and figure out how to get there. Aside from the time problem (the time intervals that flights trains and busses leave is not as flexible as a car), this should be relatively easy to implement as the search space is so much smaller, and should be easy to acquire information about (as opposed to every backroad across the US). Just overlaying subway and bus stops onto the street maps would be a huge improvement.

    There are many profitable ways to utilize this:
    I type in to WA. I get all the options- from trains, busses, airplanes. This is targeted marketing nirvana, as unlike people who are searching for TV's just to see the latest stuff, very few people ask for driving directions "just to see how they would get there."
    Just targetting airlines and railroads, etc. might be too small of a market... So how about showing ads from places along the route? Driving from NY to DC? See the diners along the way. Taking the train? Stop at the pizza hut in Penn. There is alot of revenue to be made there.

    It could be argued that this is a small market. However, considering that there are 10M people in NYC alone, most of which whom rely on mass transit, I would have to disagree.