Get more out of Google Maps with their improved places pages. We’ve got details on this cool new feature that will have you loving Google Maps even more!
Get more out of Google Maps with their improved places pages. We’ve got details on this cool new feature that will have you loving Google Maps even more!
Connecting your location with places
You can still use Latitude to automatically update and share your location, but check-ins let you add context to the location—like captions to a photo. For example, I live in San Francisco but often travel around the world. Until today, sharing my location let friends and family know if I was across the globe or in their neighborhood. Now, check-ins let them see the cool restaurant I’m trying in Taipei or join me for a latte at the cafe nearby.
Not your typical check-ins
Because you can use Latitude to automatically detect your location, we’ve added a few twists to checking in to make it really easy:
Explore your world one check-in at a time
Latitude is built right into Google Maps for Android so check-ins work across Latitude and Maps seamlessly. For example, check in at that new hamburger joint, and you’ll see its Place page with reviews to help you order. When friends check in at a place, you can go straight from their Latitude profile to its Place page to learn about it, fire up Google Maps Navigation (Beta) for turn-by-turn directions to them, and more.
You can also check in at a favorite place to earn special status there; you’ll see if you’ve become a “Regular,” a “VIP” or a “Guru” on its Place page. Keep checking in to hold onto your status or reach the next level.
Of course, we thought carefully about how to make checking in to places quick and easy while giving you control over your privacy. Just like when sharing your location with Latitude, checking in is 100% opt-in, and you can choose to share any check-in with your friends on Latitude, publicly on the web and your Google profile, or just yourself. Learn more about checking in and managing your check-ins with Latitude in the Help Center. Coming later this week, you’ll also be able to see your complete history of check-ins using the optional History tab at google.com/latitude from your computer.
Start checking in by downloading the latest Google Maps from Android Market (on Android 1.6+; tap here if you’re on your phone) and then joining Latitude from the main menu. You can check in everywhere Maps and Latitude are already available. If you’re using the new Latitude app for iPhone, you’ll see your friends’ check-ins, and we’ll update the app soon so you can check in too.
Just the beginning…
Checking in from Latitude is just one step in helping you connect the places you go with the people you care about. We believe in letting you use or share your location however you like, and we’re working on making location and check-ins useful in more places—across Google and the web.
GEB reader ‘Will from the UK’ has sent us another cool find — a 3D maze! The grounds of the Hampton Court Palace in London include a lot of greenery, and this maze is part of it.
This would have been pretty neat in any case, but it’s made much cooler by the new “Ground Level View” in Google Earth 6. You can give it a try by using this KML file. If you use a Space Navigator, try to fly through it. If not, then grab the Street View pegman from the navigation tools and put him in the maze. This will shift you to “Ground-Level View” mode, and then you can use the arrow keys to work your way through the maze.
The lack of collision detection in Google Earth means that you can go right through the shrubs, which makes it a bit difficult to work your way through. Still, it’s a pretty neat find! If you get stuck, Will created this simple KML file that shows the path to the center.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the Palace itself. It possibly has the most chimney stacks of any building in Google Earth — there are a ton of them!
Were you able to complete the maze? Have you discovered any other locations that are much more interesting now thanks to the “ground level” mode?