Voice Search Google Maps!

Without using your keyboard, you can now talk into Google Maps to look for places and get directions. If you’re using a Chrome web browser in the U.S. (English only for now), simply click the microphone icon and speak into your computer.

 

Click the mic and ask for a place to get started

Using voice search can make it easier to find hard-to-spell places (like Poughkeepsie or Liechtenstein) or simply get directions without typing (for example, say “Directions from Los Angeles to San Francisco”). Or if you’re interested in exploring the world through the Earth layer (using the plugin), you can just say where you want to go and fly over to that location directly within your browser!

 

 

Fly to places just by saying your query

If you didn’t already know, you can also use voice commands on Google.com, your Android device or on the Google app for your iPhone. Take a look at this video for desktop voice search to find out how voice actions can make your life easier.

Google Earth: New Imagery at the end of August

 

After going nearly a month between the last few sets of updates, Google apparently just pushed out some fresh imagery. Thanks to ‘Andreas’ for being the first to spot it.

Interestingly, this imagery isn’t very fresh. Andreas found a few locations in Germany with new imagery, but the imagery is from 2008 (replacing imagery from 2004, which is still visible on Google Maps). Perhaps Google just acquired this imagery from a new provider and they’re updating various areas with it?

berlin.jpg

As is usually the case, you can use Google Maps to determine for sure whether or not a specific area is fresh. This new imagery isn’t in Google Maps yet, so you can compare Earth vs. Maps to see what’s new; the fresh imagery is already in Google Earth, but the old imagery is still in Google Maps. If you compare the two side-by-side and they’re not identical, that means that you’ve found a freshly updated area in Google Earth!

[UPDATED – 24-August, 3:02pm EST]

  • Bosnia Herzegovina: Sokolac
  • Germany: Berlin (BBI Airport), Schwedt, Templin
  • United States: Arizona (Quartzsite), California (Stockton, Modesto, Los Banos, Lake Tahoe), Kansas (Dodge City), Nevada (Carson City, Las Vegas, Reno), Texas (Pecos)