StreetView

EU cautions Google over Street View photos

Google is in hot water in Europe once again over Street View map photos.

In a letter sent to the search giant this week, the European Union's privacy watchdog told Google that it should warn towns and cities before it snaps photos for its online Street View maps. The EU also told the company that it should cut the time it keeps the original photos online from a year to six months.

In response, Google said it already posts updates on its Web site about the itinerary of its Street View cameras. The company also addressed privacy concerns, noting … Read more

Appeals court lets Google Street View suit continue

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit that a Pennsylvania couple filed against Google after a driver for its Street View service took a panoramic photograph of their secluded home.

But the Third Circuit Court of Appeals hinted that Aaron and Christine Boring may only be able to wrest $1 in damages from the search company--unless they can prove that they were actually harmed in the moment the Google driver lingered on their property.

"It may well be that, when it comes to proving damages from the alleged trespass, the Borings are left to collect one dollar and … Read more

Google Street View welcomes me to the U.K.

WINDSOR, U.K.--How opportune.

Just as I arrived as a transplant to England for a spell, Google added tours of 20 National Trust historic sites to Google Maps Street View.

I've long been a proponent of virtual tourism over the Internet, whether for planning an actual visit or just exploring other places virtually, so I'm happy about Google's partnership with the National Trust. The organization takes care of many historic sites in the United Kingdom, including assorted stately homes, the prehistoric stone circle at Avebury, and Lindisfarne Castle, where I was assaulted by territorial terns as a boy.

Google said 20 National Trust sites are now on Street View, and the National Trust said that more are coming, including a personal favorite, the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The tours let virtual visitors click linearly through the sites--a plodding and limited way to explore compared with roaming freely around the actual sites, but still good enough to be useful. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1144: What's Google really doing in China?

Due to some Gmail attacks, Google has said it will remove its filters and possibly pull out of China altogether. There's definitely a lot more going on behind the scenes of this than we know, but we try to get to the heart of the matter as the nation of China negotiates with the nation of Google. We also discuss Facebook's requirement that you scan your hard drive to reactivate a hacked account, and we look forward to Martians coming this year. Yay for Martians!

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1143: Google is sorry... you feel that way?

Google apologized to China for miscommunication over its scanning of books. But that didn't stop it from scanning the books. Or even get it to apologize for scanning the books. Also Microsoft Word is no longer sold, at least for a brief period of time. And the Apple rumors are ramping up.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1143

Microsoft Word injunction goes into effect http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10432510-56.html

Warning, Nexus One users! Dangerous fees may lie ahead http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/warning-nexus-one-users-dangerous-fees-ahead.ars… Read more

Google muses about ads in Street View

Could virtual billboards one day show up in Google Street View?

A few months ago, Google gave a presentation to marketing and ad agency types in Europe as part of an event called "Above and Beyond 2009," an educational seminar/infomercial on how Google can help get their clients' messages out to the public. One of the presentations was on the exploding opportunities in mobile advertising, something with which Google is clearly obsessed these days.

In the presentation, Google tossed out the notion that ads may one day appear in Street View, the feature in Google Maps that … Read more

At last, Google has some parasites

Some, perhaps including Rupert Murdoch, might find this story uplifting.

While there has been much recent bellowing, whining, and general cat-on-heat griping about Google making money from the fine work of others, now I can report that some are finding ways to make money piggybacking on the broad spine of Google's engineering.

Two enterprising entities, different in their form but united in their purpose, have attempted to use Google's Street View as a medium for their own commercial messages.

First, there was car rental company AutoShare, the Canadian equivalent Zipcar in the U.S. You know, the folks … Read more

Google Street View goes off-roading

Google's Street View trike is hitting the road throughout the U.S., and the company is seeking your input as to where it will go next.

In the past, Google Maps' Street View has largely restricted your virtual trips to spots accessible by car. But the company's trike, a 250-pound tricycle outfitted with GPS and a camera that looks like a submarine periscope, can virtually take you places you can't drive--anywhere from a school campus to a theme park.

To help its cyclists go where no trike has gone before, Google needs your help in deciding where … Read more

Google Street View arrives in 11 Canadian cities

Google announced on Wednesday that it has launched its Street View service to 11 cities in Canada, including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, among others.

Google Street View, which originally launched in May 2007, allows users to virtually navigate neighborhoods in 14 countries around the world. When the service first launched, it was only available in five U.S. cities.

Street View has come under some fire since its debut for the service's alleged potential to infringe the privacy of those people found in its images. To address that issue in Canada, Google said in a statement that it &… Read more

Make your own Google Street View rig

Google Wave is getting all the Googley press this week, but let us not forget one of The Goog's other impressive creations: Street View in Google Maps.

As part of a "disruptive technologies" course at West Point, Roy Ragsdale put together his very own Street View camera vehicle, and in an IEEE Spectrum article, he offers a fairly straightforward and cool how-to on doing the same. Why you'd want to is beyond me. Sure, it's cool, but I like to spend my spare time talking to girls.

Street View, of course, affords panoramic views of … Read more