http://www.robgilmour.com/feed en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sweetcron rob@rasweb.co.za http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/3479/google-challenges-bings-photosynth-adds-user-photos-to-street-view Google Street View has made a few headlines at RWW lately - once for getting itself into hot water in Europe and once, notably, for bringing Street View's photo-tour features into retail outlets. Now, we've learned that Street View will also begin to feature user-submitted photographs. According to a recent Google Lat Long blog post, "We began integrating user photos into Street View last year. User photos allow you to view locations from entirely new perspectives, whether through the eyes of a talented photographer with a knack for capturing architectural detail, or simply taken from locations we couldn't get to... We're making it easier to navigate through these images in a way that should feel similar to how you're used to exploring within Street View." Sponsor Users can submit pictures from Picasa, Panoramio and Flickr that show different views, times of day or pedestrian-only areas. Here's an example of what the interface looks like; the square in the top right corner indicates there are user-submitted images for that area. And here is the photo navigation interface. Users can also navigate through photos using new click-and-drag controls to see images from nearby areas, or different angles or crops of the same area. Some have speculated that Google has chosen to highlight and integrate this feature because of competition with Bing. The Next Web recently called Microsoft's Photosynth, a similar product launched in 2008 and integrated into Bing Maps, "the killer app of the Bing suite" that differentiates Bing from Google in a positive way. "The feature," wrote Jacob Friedman , "displays collections of photos stitched together into a panorama[...] The results, to put it bluntly, can be spectacular." While Google's offering may not have the 3D-esque quality of Photosynth, allowing for more creative images and photos from a larger geographical area to be shared in Street View is a smart move for the company. Let us know what you think in the comments. Discuss ]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:15:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/3479/google-challenges-bings-photosynth-adds-user-photos-to-street-view http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2860/google-earth-to-be-integrated-into-new-audi-a8-google Google's partnering with Audi to include Google Earth and other services in the new Audi A8. This'll make Audi the first automaker to directly integrate Google's services in one of its vehicles, but I certainly doubt it'll be the last. To me this is a perfect fit as Google stays as not-evil as possible and Audi keeps making oh-so-gorgeous cars. [Google Lat Long Blog—Thanks, Chareverie!] ]]> Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:17:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2860/google-earth-to-be-integrated-into-new-audi-a8-google http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2847/google-releases-api-for-cool-visualization-of-data-mashups-from-many-sources A recently released Google Labs product called Fusion Tables allowed users to grab data from spreadsheets, text documents, PDFs and other sources and create compelling, comprehensive visualizations from a merged data set. Google has just announced it's releasing an API for Fusion Tables. The API integrates with Google Maps, App Engine, Base Data and Visualizations APIs, as well, to allow for motion charts, timelines, graphs and maps with all the data available and running on Google's infrastructure. The API allows users to upload data from any source, from text files to full databases, and see their data merged and compared in cool visualizations. Surprisingly, that's not even the best part. Sponsor Perhaps best of all, for active, dynamic datasets, Fusion Tables is programmatically updated and accessed, so new information is accessible without requiring an admin login to the Fusion Tables site. As data is added or altered, the most up-to-date version will be available as long as the dataset is synced to Fusion Tables. The Fusion Tables API also allows for queries and downloads. It's built on a subset of SQL. By referencing data values in SQL-like query expressions, developers can find data and download it for use by their app. The application can then do any kind of processing on the data, like computing aggregates or feeding into a visualization gadget. Visualizations of data can be embedded in blogs and other sites all around the web, and attribution remains constant for all the data that is uploaded to Fusion Tables. Another cool aspect of Fusion Tables is its real-time collaboration features. As with Google Docs, collaborators can be invited via email. Multiple people can view and comment on the data, and these discussions show users' commments and any changes to the datasets over time. For an overview of how Fusion Tables works, check out this demo video that explains how data can be mashed up and graphed: We also found this cool video from Google engineer Alon Halevy and Pacific Institution president Peter Gleick on the principles of interpreting and using data to solve water problems: Developers can get more information at the API developer's guide page. We think data itself is exciting and has the potential to tell many previously unheard stories. We wonder what kinds of apps will be developed using Fusion Tables, and we also wonder where the datasets will come from. What kind of data would you like to see explored and visualized in apps from Fusion Tables developers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Discuss ]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:20:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2847/google-releases-api-for-cool-visualization-of-data-mashups-from-many-sources http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2849/the-unofficial-google-text-to-speech-api Last month Google unveiled enhancements to Google Translate. Among the new features was a simple text-to-speech function. You can try it out, or watch this video to see how it works (skip to 0:45). There’s no official API for the text-to-speech service. But Weston Ruter noticed that anyone can access the service in the same way Google does: “Looking at the Firebug Net panel for where this TTS data was coming from, I saw that the speech audio is in MP3 format and is queried via a simple HTTP GET (REST) request: http://translate.google.com/translate_tts?tl=en&q=text” Translation: just change the URL to whatever you want it to say and you’ll get back a MP3 file. Example: copy the URL http://translate.google.com/translate_tts?q=I+love+techcrunch into your browser. This is English only for now, and its limited to 100 characters. But unless Google shuts this down, third party applications can now use this in any creative way they want. Have at it. Via Ajaxian. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors ]]> Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:54:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/2849/the-unofficial-google-text-to-speech-api http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/1877/acer-reaffirms-that-android-based-netbook-still-coming-in-q3 In an effort to quell all sorts of kicking and screaming that resulted from an evidently erroneous report earlier in the week, an Acer representative has reportedly reaffirmed that an Android-based Aspire One is still on schedule for a Q3 release. If you'll recall, we first heard of Acer's intentions to dole out an Android-laden netbook during Computex, and now it seems as if those very plans are still perfectly on track. So there you have it, folks -- no need to keep pounding those heart medications.Filed under: LaptopsAcer reaffirms that Android-based netbook still coming in Q3 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments ]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:14:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/1877/acer-reaffirms-that-android-based-netbook-still-coming-in-q3 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/778/t-mobile-g2-google-ion-review-most-improved-award-t-mobile-g2-review Not only does the T-Mobile G2/HTC Magic/Google Ion phone improve on original T-Mobile G1 in just about every way, it manages to do it while cutting down significantly on the size. The only thing it doesn't have going for it is a hardware keyboard. Note: This isn't technically the G2 since it hasn't been officially released here yet, but the T-Mobile G2 will have the same hardware and the same software—the same, essentially, as the HTC Magic in Europe—so this is as close to the G2 as you're going to get until T-Mo ships their own. Hardware: Let me repeat that nationally-televised ad and get this out of the way first: The screen is still fantastic. If you place the G1 and the G2 side by side, the G2 has a more blue-ish tint while the G1 is more purple. The G2 produces whiter whites than the G1. It doesn't seem any brighter—it's just nicer. The generously curved shell is thicker than the iPhone, but less wide, which actually makes it feel better in the hand. It weighs 4.09 ounces compared to the G1's 5.60 ounces, but somehow manages to feel even lighter, like half as heavy. That curved chin that caused such a nuisance when typing on the G1 is no longer a problem, due to the fact that there's no actual slide-out hardware keyboard. Face buttons are now smaller and shiny and raised, which makes them easier to locate and press. There's also one extra button: Search. This pops up a context-related search menu for apps like contacts, email and the browser. It's also improved internally. A2DP Bluetooth stereo support comes standard (it was enabled for the G1 in the 1.5 Cupcake update), and the slimmer body houses a 1340mAh battery (the G1 had a meager 1150mAh pack). A battery test is coming later, but HTC's specs rate this as 400 minutes talk time compared to 350 for the G1. The camera is the same 3.2-megapixel, and as of the 1.5 update, both the G1 and the G2 can both record video adequately. Not great, just adequate. Still pictures are as passable as the G1's in sunlight, and still not great in low light. What you'll feel most often is the increased ROM and RAM: 512MB and 288MB, respectively. The beefed up hardware makes a noticeable difference in speed when launching and using apps. Unfortunately, there's still no 3.5mm headphone jack, and you still need to use an adapter if you want to use your own headphones. The microSD memory slot is also hidden underneath the back battery cover, but thankfully not underneath the battery itself. The hardware has been improved in just about every respect, minus the fact that you no longer have a physical keyboard to bang out emails and texts quickly. But fortunately the software keyboard actually makes the loss bearable. Software The G2 comes with the same Android 1.5 OS that just rolled out to G1s—the same update we've been tracking over and over through its long development cycle—so none of this will be a huge surprise. The key difference is that you have to use the software keyboard now. Also, instead of switching to and from landscape view when the keyboard is extended, the G2 uses the accelerometer to detect transitions. It works well, and uses a fade-out fade-in effect. It's not a speedy transition, but it's not too slow either. And the landscape keyboard works in all the apps and all the fields we tested. But the keyboard itself? It falls just slightly short of the iPhone's. Like the iPhone (and the G1), it's got a capacitive screen. Pressing a key makes the key pop up above, so you can see what you're typing. Google thankfully decided against the goofy other-side-of-the-keyboard solution they had before. Although the letter recognition is accurate, and is intuitive if you've ever typed on an iPhone, it just needs its sensitivity cranked up another 20%. Occasionally you'll press a key and the phone will sit there staring back at you blankly. More often than not it's the space key that refuses to detect, makingyourwordsruntogether. This mostly happens when you type really fast, so it seems like the hardware isn't quite fast enough to keep up with your taps. What's nice is that the phone displays multiple word guesses (like so many other phones) for autocomplete, which may save you key presses on longer words. And as far as we can tell from blasting out a bunch of emails and texts from it, the dictionary is quite accurate at detecting what you're typing. It's still no hardware keyboard, but it's at least as good as typing on the iPhone, with the slightly worse sensitivity (and thus slower typing speeds) being made up for by the better auto-complete. Verdict Although the T-Mobile G2/Google Ion/HTC Magic has still has its flaws, it's essentially better than the G1 in every way. It's lighter, faster, better and supposedly lasts longer on a charge. Unless you absolutely need to have a hardware keyboard for massive text entry, there's no real reason why Android seekers shouldn't get the G2 when it debuts on T-Mobile soon. It's lighter, thinner and faster than the G1 Software keyboard actually works No more physical keyboard Exactly the same OS as the G1, so there's not a lot of reason to upgrade if you already own the predecessor ]]> Thu, 28 May 2009 23:20:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/778/t-mobile-g2-google-ion-review-most-improved-award-t-mobile-g2-review http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/648/googles-creepy-new-algorithm-knows-if-youre-going-to-quit-your-job-before-you-do-man-vs-machine Google's developed an algorithm that tells them which employees are most likely to quit. That's creepy. Think about it: It's a formula designed to let a machine essentially wriggle around inside your head to extract your true intentions—intentions you might not even realize you have yet—to reveal them to the company bean counters, who are basically machines themselves. Who can then take the Pre-Crime approach and shitcan you before you quit—if you were really going to quit at all. Google developed the algorithm in response to its best employees bailing, so presumably at least some of the unhappy people would be wooed, not written off. But this is just the beginning. Today, a computer knows if you're going to quit. Next, a computer calculates if you should be hired at all. Which is only a few generations removed from determining if all people shouldn't be fired, but like, permanently. From earth. The uprising is coming, and Google will be where it begins. [WSJ] ]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 04:40:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/648/googles-creepy-new-algorithm-knows-if-youre-going-to-quit-your-job-before-you-do-man-vs-machine http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/85/an-exhaustive-look-at-the-web-browsers-of-today-and-tomorrow-browser-wars Maximum PC takes an in-depth look at the stable and beta releases of the big names in the browser wars, rounding up in all 9 incarnations of browser's competing to be your gateway to the web (Firefox 3 and 3.1 beta, Internet Explorer 7 and 8 beta, Opera 9.6 and 10 beta, Safari 3 and 4 beta, and Google Chrome). We recently walked you through our browser speed tests, putting the latest and greatest browsers through the paces, but if you're looking for a more in-depth examination, the MaxPC article is seven pages full of charts and graphs thoroughly evaluating each offering. [Browser Battle: Nine Browsers of Today and Tomorrow Compared] ]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:30:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/85/an-exhaustive-look-at-the-web-browsers-of-today-and-tomorrow-browser-wars http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/68/does-online-advertising-work-for-your-business Seth Godin writes about how simple your approach to online advertising should be in his post: If your ads work, if you can measure them and they return more profit than they cost, why not keep buying them until they stop working? And if they don’t work, why are you running them? The time-tested response is that you’re not sure, that ads are risky, that you can’t tell. … Digital ads are different (or they should be). You should know cost per click and revenue per click and be able to make a smart guess about lifetime value of a click. And if that’s positive, buy, buy, buy. And if you don’t know those things, why are you buying digital ads? We do a lot of online advertising through various providers and it is amazing how scientific you can get in order to gain real value from the medium. Online ads have totally changed the marketing landscape and we no longer rely on made up stats like “readership” and “circulation” that off line print media rely on the help justify their advertising costs.  I’m not saying don’t use “off line” media, as not all of your target audience are necessarily online, but it sure does help to focus your marketing efforts with stats such as cost per click and revenue per click. The one thing about online advertising is that you need to actively track them.  Gone are the days of sending off an advert to your favorite magazine and then waiting for the phone to ring. Today, you can see exactly how your online ads are performing, who is viewing them and if they are delivering real business results. All in real time. Its amazing how the Internet is revolutionising marketing and the way we reach customers. Related Stories Read magazines online What is Twitter? Online convenience for tax payers Our website evolves Have you seen our new Data Centre? Take the tour ]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:20:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/68/does-online-advertising-work-for-your-business http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/69/read-magazines-online Google has set about to digitize the worlds books through a complicated scanning and indexing system. This never really excited me as the books they chose to index first were all old library classics and journals. This has now changed with the inclusion of magazines. Today Google launched magazines as part of their Book Search tool which is still officially in beta, but can be accessed here. My favorites are all included, take a look at the full catalog scanned in for your viewing pleasure (the Popular Mechanics from the early 1900’s are classic). Here are some of the magazines already scanned, expect more to be added soon: Popular Mechanics Popular Science Maximum PC Mac Life Mens Health Mens Health Best Life CIO Related Stories Does online advertising work for your business Online convenience for tax payers What is Twitter? Do you SMS more than you phone Have you seen our new Data Centre? Take the tour ]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:39:00 +0200 http://www.robgilmour.com/items/view/69/read-magazines-online