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The next dimension of Google Maps and Google Earth (First Take)

Posted by Harshad

The next dimension of Google Maps and Google Earth (First Take)


The next dimension of Google Maps and Google Earth (First Take)

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:16 PM PDT

At an invite-only press event in its San Francisco office, Google today made a few big announcements regarding its ubiquitous mapping and navigation programs, Google Maps and Google Earth. While not everything they showed off is quite ready for the public yet, we do have some initial thoughts on the announced updates.

Offline Google Maps for Mobile Even though I haven't played with this feature yet, I can already say Offline Maps is going to be hugely useful. Travelers especially should be ecstatic, as they will be able to cache specific areas and boot up Google Maps while traipsing around the globe (without any network connection, mind you). What's more, GPS-enabled devices will still be able to plot your location with a blue dot on the map, even sans network, according to Rita Chen, product manager of Google Maps for mobile. Oh, and the compass will work as well, which should make orienting yourself that much easier. All that said, this is very likely going to change the way we travel.

(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

But not only for travelers, Offline Maps might be a good way to save battery as well. Of course, we'd have to do some testing first, but I'm guessing that pulling up a cached map might be more battery-friendly than accessing one through an active network connection. If that's the case, I can see users... [Read more]

Nokia: We're basically the world's largest maps company

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:01 PM PDT

Nokia's Web map of the San Francisco Bay Area.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Nokia wants you to know that it's one of the biggest mapping companies you didn't know about. In fact, when you add its in-car, Web, and mobile presence together, it's pretty much king of the maps.

Nokia's mapping platform powers Yahoo services and increasingly gives Microsoft's Bing its cartographic data.

Thanks to its Navteq buy in 2007, Finland's finest claims an automotive presence in more than 80 percent of in-dash navigation modules and after-market devices.

"We're basically the world's largest mapping company," Hans Peter Brondmo, head of innovation for Nokia's Location and Commerce business, told CNET. Brondmo added that Nokia's maps platform enables 176 million devices in 196 countries and over 50 languages.

Fierce competition

Nokia's turn-by-turn navigation on an iPhone.

(Credit: Nokia) While Nokia may yet be "unrivaled" in automotive now, fierce competition lies on the road ahead. Google just announced offline maps for mobile tha... [Read more]

Cosmos: A Windows utility mashup

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT

(Credit: Support.com)

Introducing Cosmos, Support.com's brand-new suite of system care tools that's meant to clean, optimize, and secure your Windows PC.

As is typical with Support.com products, much of the functionality of Cosmos is wrapped in a single, comprehensive dashboard. There are a few tabs and panels, but no exhaustive drop-down menus (thank goodness). Overall, this design seems to suit Cosmos quite well, as it makes the program more visual and easier to use.

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Everything Cosmos has to offer is broken down in the tabs along the left side of the interface: Security and Privacy, Backup and Recovery, Disk Optimizers, Windows Optimizers, Registry Optimizers, Other Utilities, and All Tools. With the way its tools are broken down, Cosmos makes it easy to go in and perform only the operations you need. Otherwise, when you first install Cosmos, you can go through a one-click checkup, which scans your computer for... [Read more]

That didn't take long: Angry Birds Space hits 100 million downloads

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 08:41 AM PDT

(Credit: Rovio)

Angry Birds Space has reached another important milestone.

Rovio announced on its Twitter feed today that the game has been downloaded 100 million times since its launch in March. The news comes just over a month after Rovio announced that the title had hit 50 million downloads in its first 35 days of availability.

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Back in April, Rovio said that Angry Birds space has become the "fastest-growing mobile game" ever released and had beat out all previous installments in the Angry Bird... [Read more]

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