WebProNews

Google Maps Adds NYC Subway Layer

Last night on "30 Rock," Alec Baldwin's character got lost within New York's subway system, and due to being covered in bedbugs, received no help from his fellow passengers.  But if the same thing happened to him (or a non-fictional person) today, Google Maps could have come to the rescue.

Google Maps Takes Another Crack At Real Estate

There's about a month left before the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit becomes a thing of the past, and - perhaps like many individuals - Google's not going to let this opportunity slip away.  The search giant's upgraded Google Maps's real estate options in several different ways.

Google Delivers GPS for Android 2.0 Devices

Google has launched Google Maps Navigation for Android 2.0 devices in beta. This acts as a GPS navigation system with 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance, and automatic rerouting. "But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone's Internet connection," says Google Software Engineer Keith Ito.

Google Makes Biggest Design Changes to Maps Yet

Google is rolling out the biggest set of changes it has ever made to Google Maps since it launched nearly five years ago. The changes come in a variety of manners, like refinements to color, density, typography, and road-styling. These changes are visible in the "map" and "hybrid" views around the world.

Google Earth Users Get a Way to Build Architecture

Google has launched a new tool for creating buildings for Google Earth, called Google Building Maker. The company thinks of this tool as a cross between Google Maps and a "gigantic bin of building blocks."

Google Updates Maps with New Dataset

Google announced the launch of a new dataset for Google Maps, which opens up a lot more scenery. Now Google is able to provide better imagery and maps for things like parks, college campuses, and hiking trails.

Will Google Eliminate the Need for Small Business Websites?

Google has people riled up with its latest local search effort Google Place Pages. Place Pages are a Google Maps feature launched last week, which serve the purpose of providing everything you want to know about a place (a city or a business) in one spot. For example, if you search for a specific restaurant, you should get web pages, directions, reviews, images, street view imagery, business hours, etc. Google lets businesses submit specific categories they want to include.

Google Revamps Mobile Local Search Experience

Google has launched a new version of local search for mobile. This version heavily utilizes Google Maps to make organization of results easier on your phone. The new local search for mobile lets you find business listings on Google Maps while you're on your computer, where you can "star" them. Once you star them, you can easily find your starred listings grouped together from your phone, making it easy to keep the listings you need while you're out, together. This can potentially make errand running a lot easier, as demonstrated in the video below.

Controversial Facebook App Lets Users Become Members of Al-Qaeda

Just days after a controversial poll about killing the president ran on Facebook, and attracted an investigation from the secret service, an interesting press release has hit the wires. The release is about a new game, which comes in the form of a Facebook app, and will no doubt draw additional controversy.

A Year of Google's Big Eye in the Sky

A little over a year ago, the GeoEye-1 was launched. This is a sattelite from the company Geo-Eye, which entered a deal with Google to provide it with imagery for Google Maps and Google Earth.