Introducing the Google Translate app for iPhone

Back in August 2008, we launched a Google Translate HTML5 web app for iPhone users. Today, the official Google Translate for iPhone app is available for download from the App Store. The new app has all of the features of the web app, plus some significant new additions designed to improve your overall translation experience.

Speak to translate
The new app accepts voice input for 15 languages, and—just like the web app—you can translate a word or phrase into one of more than 50 languages. For voice input, just press the microphone icon next to the text box and say what you want to translate.

Listen to your translations
You can also listen to your translations spoken out loud in one of 23 different languages. This feature uses the same new speech synthesizer voices as the desktop version of Google Translate we introduced last month.

Full-screen mode
Another feature that might come in handy is the ability to easily enlarge the translated text to full-screen size. This way, it’s much easier to read the text on the screen, or show the translation to the person you are communicating with. Just tap on the zoom icon to quickly zoom in.

And the app also includes all of the major features of the web app, including the ability to view dictionary results for single words, access your starred translations and translation history even when offline, and support romanized text like Pinyin and Romaji.

You can download Google Translate now from the App Store globally. The app is available in all iOS supported languages, but you’ll need an iPhone or iPod touch iOS version 3 or later.

Make quick fixes quicker on Google Project Hosting

Have you ever noticed a bug or typo in your code but not been in a position to fix it? Perhaps you were browsing the code online from your Cr-48, or perhaps you just didn’t have Subversion or Mercurial handy. Today the Google Project Hosting team is announcing a new feature for you: the ability to edit your source code files directly in the browser, in our online editor powered by CodeMirror. Just look for the “edit file” link on files in the online source browser:

As you edit, you can preview the diff of your changes so you know exactly what you are committing:

And if you don’t have commit privileges to the project? No problem. Instead of committing your changes, you can file your changes as a patch in the project’s issue tracker.

By lowering the barrier to entry for everyone — project members and users alike — we hope to make it easier for projects to grow and improve. Enjoy!

Geodatabase API

File Geodatabase API BETA – January 2011

File Geodatabase API BETA - January 2011
Image source: ESRI – File Geodatabase API announced.

The File Geodatabase API provides a non-ArcObjects based means by which advanced developers can work with File Geodatabases. The File Geodatabase API will be C++ based and will provide the ability to perform the following tasks:

  • Create, Open and Delete file geodatabases
  • Read the schema of the geodatabase

All content within a geodatabase can be opened for read access

  • Create schema for objects within the simple feature model
  • Tables
  • Point, Line, and Polygon feature classes
  • Feature datasets
  • Domains
  • Subtypes
  • Read the contents of datasets in a geodatabase
  • All dataset content within a geodatabase can be read
  • Insert, Delete and Edit the contents of simple datasets:

Tables

  • Point, Line, Polygon, Multipoint, and Multipatch feature classes
  • Perform attribute and (limited) spatial queries on datasets
  • Spatial queries will be limited to the envelope-intersects operator
  • Navigate relationships and work with Attachments

This API is targeted for advanced developers who require access to the File Geodatabase without an ArcObjects license for purposes of interoperability. A commonly requested user scenario is to open File Geodatabase tables outside of an ArcObjects based application to view or modify data. This API does not replace ArcObjects as the recommended approach to interacting with the geodatabase.

The File Geodatabase API leverages the work done in ArcGIS 10 to simplify the Geodatabase system tables. Therefore, the File Geodatabase API only supports file geodatabases from release 10 or later. We are planning to deliver the API as a single downloadable ZIP containing:

C++ library (single dll, lib, .h)
API documentation in html format
(Supported on Windows only for the initial release)

Limitations of the File Geodatabase API

While the File Geodatabase API will support reading the schema and data of complex geodatabase types, the API will not honor geodatabase behavior on inserts, deletes or updates to the following dataset types:

  • Annotation and Dimension feature classes
  • Relationship Classes
  • Networks (GN and ND)
  • Topologies
  • Terrains
  • Representations
  • Parcel Fabrics

The API will not prevent users from attempting to edit objects with complex behavior, the onus will be on the developer to understand what they should and should not edit through the API and avoid editing datasets that have geodatabase behavior. There will be a method called Table::IsEditable which will provide developers with the ability to determine whether a dataset can be safely edited.

Other limitations of the File Geodatabase API at its initial release:

  • Rasters (Raster Dataset, Raster Catalog, Mosaic Datasets and Raster Attributes) are not supported with the initial release of the File Geodatabase API.
  • Spatial queries with the File Geodatabase API will be limited to the envelope-intersects operator.

http://blogs.esri.com/Dev/blogs/geodatabase/archive/2010/12/13/File-Geodatabase-API-details.aspx