Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    Google Maps Labs Looks to Test New Zoom, Aerial Views

    By
    Clint Boulton
    -
    February 14, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Google one day is going to have Labs for everything it does. Well, maybe not, but the company Feb. 12 formally introduced Google Maps Labs.

      Like the other Google Labs before it, Maps Labs is an experiment devoted to building new features that let users view Google Maps in different ways and augment them with different tools.

      Click on the green flask icon at the top right of the screen in Google Maps to see pick the new features you want to enable. Red arrow indicates the Labs flask:

      Maps Labs boasts nine features from the start. Aerial imagery provides imagery from the sky. The Drag ‘n’ Zoom control lets users zoom in on a location by dragging a box around it. Smart Zoom will check in advance what imagery exists, and ensure users can’t zoom beyond it.

      The What’s Around Here button adds a second search button that lets users conduct searches for nearby businesses. The Where in the World quiz challenges users’ geography chops. Rotable Maps turn maps upside down.

      LatLong Marker lets users drop a mini marker showing the latitude and longitude of the position that the cursor was pointing at when the context menu was evoked. The similar LatLong Tooltip displays a tool tip next to the mouse cursor showing the lat/long directly underneath it.

      Finally, the Back to Beta option lets users enjoy the seminal Google Maps.

      Should the Labs features users enable — note they are only opt-in (Google Buzz engineers should take some notes) — break or users just grow tired of them, they can

      click this link to disable all Labs or choose those they want to keep.

      In order for Google to “remember,” or retain, your Maps Labs settings for future visits, users must be logged into their Google account. If these features catch on, they may one day end up in Google Maps.

      Google has a solid track record of nurturing Labs features and helping them graduate to official products and features. Google Social Search just left Google’s Labs section (Aardvark, which Google just acquired, took its place).

      Other labs cover more focused niches and include Gmail Labs, which graduated Tasks last July; Google Apps Labs; Calendar Labs; Google Code Labs; Search Experiments; Toolbar Labs; and YouTube TestTube.

      Try out Google Maps Labs features and let me know what you think.

      Avatar
      Clint Boulton

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×