redirect

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Google Maps back in iPhone

Google Maps' iPhone is back. 

The release comes nearly three months after Apple Inc. replaced Google Maps as the device's built-in navigation system and inserted its own maps into the latest version of its mobile operating system.

Apple's maps proved to be far inferior to Google's. The product's shoddiness prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue a rare public apology and recommend that iPhone owners consider using Google maps through a mobile Web browser or seek other alternatives until his company could fix the problems. Cook also replaced the executive in charge of Apple's mobile operating system after the company's maps became a subject of widespread ridicule.

Among other things, Apple's maps misplaced landmarks, overlooked towns and sometimes got people horribly lost. In a particularly egregious example flagged this week, Australian police derided Apple's maps as "life-threatening" because the system was steering people looking for the city of Mildura into a sweltering, remote desert 44 miles from the desired destination.

Google is hailing its new iPhone app as a major improvement from the one evicted by Apple.


The additional tools in the free iPhone mapping app include turn-by-turn directions. Google's new iPhone mapping app also will offer its street-level photography of local neighborhoods for the first time on Apple's mobile operating system, as well as three-dimensional views, public transit directions and listings for more than 80 million businesses. The iPhone app still lacks some of the mapping features available on Android-powered phones, such as directions in malls and other buildings.

There still isn't a Google mapping app for Apple's top-selling tablet computer, the iPad, but the company plans to make one eventually. Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., declined to say when it hopes to release an iPad mapping app. For now, iPad owners can use the maps in an iPhone mode. That won't be the best experience, but it still may be better than Apple's maps on the iPad.

Google Maps vs. Apple Maps vs. Nokia Maps


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Google Glass

Google has revealed its long-rumored plans to create augmented reality (AR) eyeglasses.

Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect view of a physical environment that's augmented by computer-generated input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

Through the built-in camera on the glasses, Google will be able to stream images to its rack computers and return augmented reality information to the person wearing them. For instance, a person looking at a landmark could see detailed historical information and comments about it left by friends. If facial recognition software becomes accurate enough, the glasses could remind a wearer of when and how he met the vaguely familiar person standing in front of him at a party. They might also be used for virtual reality games that use the real world as the playground.

Regarding marketing there is a lot of potential since user can get ads and events information depending on where he is and what is looking for, time of the day, etc...

You can see more on the Google Glass concept in the video below.

Google Glass - Concept video


The video is shot from the point of view of someone wearing a pair of AR glasses. The wearer can apparently take a phone call while wearing the glasses, listening and speaking with the caller, whose avatar or photo pops up on one lens of the glasses.



The wearer can transmit what he or she sees during the conversation.

The user gets information related to what he/she is looking. For example, looking out of the window triggers data about the weather that's shown on the lens.

Looking at objects while walking pulls up information on the lens. For example, when the wearer passes a subway station, a notice that service had been suspended is called up a Google Map showing a walking route.

A Siri-like voice application puts up information in response to questions. For example, when the user walked into a bookstore and asked where the music section was, a map indicating that section came up on the lens.

The user can also instruct the glasses to take a photo.

Project Glass seems to incorporate features from Google Maps, Android's voice response system, Google's geolocation service and other features.

Technology

The glasses will use the same Android software that powers Android smartphones and tablets. Like smartphones and tablets, the glasses will be equipped with GPS and motion sensors. They will also contain a camera and audio inputs and outputs.

Monday, December 3, 2012

SEO Tips for WordPress

Some tips on how to optimize your WordPress site for SEO.



All In One SEO Pack

If you have WordPress site I recommend you install the "All In One SEO Pack" plug-in in order to setup easily all the main SEO options in your pages.

Features:
  • Google Analytics support
  • Support for Custom Post Types
  • Advanced Canonical URLs
  • Fine tune Page Navigational Links
  • Built-in API so other plugins/themes can access and extend functionality
  • ONLY plugin to provide SEO Integration for WP e-Commerce sites
  • Nonce Security
  • Support for CMS-style WordPress installations
  • Automatically optimizes your titles for search engines
  • Generates META tags automatically
  • Avoids the typical duplicate content found on WordPress blogs
  • For beginners, you don't even have to look at the options, it works out-of-the-box. Just install.
  • For advanced users, you can fine-tune everything
  • You can override any title and set any META description and any META keywords you want.
  • Backward-Compatibility with many other plugins, like Auto Meta, Ultimate Tag Warrior and others.