Google Launched Satellite

Actually, technically it is GeoEye who launched a mapping satellite on September 8, 11:00 (PST). It has a capability to collect 0.41 meter ground resolution black and white images and 1.65 meter color images simultaneously. Although, there is no mention of Goolge in GeoEye’s press release, but the satellite has a Google logo on its side and the Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page attended the launch.

As US licensing restrictions limit commercial images to a half-meter so will this addition improve the qualities of Google Map and Google Earth? Do we really need more accurate images?

May be with Google having private access to a satellite there will be more up-to-date imageries in future Google products.

Will this be the first of many satellites exclusive for Google’s Android phones?

Google Gears Arrives in Safari

On the weekend Google released its Gears technology to the Safari browser on Mac OS X.

You may still have to click on the “Mac” platform link if the Gears’ platform test script still claims that your Safari browser is not supported. Alternatively you can go directly to the Gears Macintosh platform .dmg download.

For those who does not know what Gears is you can check out Gears’ FAQ page. In short it enables web developers to create offline versions/components of their web applications.

Like with most things that Google does, Gears is opensource. Although this is true I am still trying to figure out why one would code to Gears rather than the more Standards compliant HTML5? If anyone like to share their thoughts, please submit a comment below.

Google Chrome Makes Its Debut

Several days ago Google made it known; both intentionally and unintentionally, that it will release its own WebKit based browser, Chrome.

Today (Sep. 2nd EDT) Google had done so in over 100 countries around the world.

For all Windows users, you now have yet another browser; among Firefox, Safari, Opera, and others, to choose from. So why not go to Google Chrome and give it a try. Of course, like many things that Google does, Chrome has Google’s “Beta” moniker to imply that “it is work in progress”.

Since I am a Mac user, I will not be trying it any time soon via Parellels. I love to hear feedback from Windows users regarding this new browser from Google.

PS: please be sepcific, comparison with it and IE 8 and/or Safari will be great.

Finally Google Got It for the Mac Or Did They?

GoogleEarth

Our counter parts on the Windows platform had been playing with Google Earth for almost a year.

As for Tuesday, January 10, 2006, Google made the Mac version of Google Earth public.

If you do not know or have not seen Google Earth, then I ask you to read Google’s description on the Google Earth home page, rather than me describing it to you. Better yet, download the application and check it out for yourself to see what the Mac community has been missing all this time.

BTW: Google had this well before Microsoft decides to launch their Live Local… Local Live… what is it called??

After playing with it for an hour. I can see that Google still have a long way before they are able to make Killer front end applications. The feel of Google Earth for the Mac is like that of the Windows version. The interface feels awkward and definitely not Mac app like.

I guess this opens up an opportunity for 3rd Party to build something more Mac like, that is if Google would release the API for Google Earth as they did for Goolge Map.

You may say, can you be a bit more specific about the deficiency of Google Earth’s UI? Well I can give you one example, since I do not want to get into the details for obvious reasons. The process of adding a Placemark is a bit cumbersome. It requires the user to bring up a web page (wizard) within the user’s default browser. This web page is simply for Google to ask the user to acknowledge the verification of any previous identical Placemark submitted; a manual and user honest process. The subsequent submission form does not copy the title of the Placemark from Google Earth to the form except for the description.

It is obvious, why Google is advertising for Macintosh Developers.

Please don’t get me wrong, this release of Google Earth is very welcomed, and the application fully capable of demonstrating the power and features of Google Earth. I just wish it was more of a Mac-like appliction. I am sure version 2.0 will be much better.

Who is the New Evil Empire?

In the past year I had signed up for services that are now no longer independent.

First it was Blogger which was purchased by Google.

Next it was Skype, which everyone knows was purchased by eBay. I personally feel that the future of Skype is numbered with eBay at the helm.

A few months ago Flickr was purchased by Yahoo. Like Skype I hope Flickr will not be destroyed by Yahoo.

Today the creator, of Upcoming announced on his blog that it will be purchased by Yahoo.

What is happening? Is everything I signup for going to be gobble up by the big guys?

There are many who thinks of Microsoft as the evil empire who tries to take over the world from the technology perspective.

Others who falls into this category are: Starbucks, Disney and Virgin. Although these other three are not as commonly regarded as Mr. Gates’ company.

At least for the software industry there are new kid(s) on the block trying to take the title from Microsoft; namely Google.

Although I cannot totally disagree with the critics about their new label for Google. I personally do not have as much dislike for Google as I have for Microsoft. I like Google, except for their recent decisions to keep releasing services that are platform specific (Windows). Rather than developing service that are based on Open Standards, which is what the Internet is.

Will the new “Evil Empire” be Google or Yahoo. I guess we will soon know.