Buddy on The Upside Down Frown

“I just like to smile.
Smiling’s my favorite.”

–Buddy the Elf
from the film, Elf (2003)

Sales smiles…

Last year around this time, I got interested in the business of Christmas and the reason we celebrate it.

It surprised me.

Something called Saturnalia came first.

If you’re interested, you can read more about it here on my personal blog. As I look back at it now, I can see hints of my most recent booklet, Love Your People.

In regard to today’s quote, I thought I’d share a favorite picture of mine that illustrates how much of a difference a smile can make…

Super Bowl Cardinals Wide Receivers

I took it during Super Bowl XLIII from my TV.

Which receiver would you rather have lunch with?

_____

Glengarry Glen Ross fans: Saturday Night Live’s seasonal take on the classic scene, “Coffee’s for closers.” Only worth the time if you’ve seen the film or actual scene more than twice (4.5 minutes).

5 Great Chrome Web Store Apps + Maps

Last week we opened the Chrome Web Store, an online marketplace where users can discover thousands of web apps, extensions, and themes for Google Chrome. With millions of people already using Chrome, the Web Store is a great platform for developers to generate both exposure and revenue for their applications.

Many of these Chrome Apps are utilizing our Geo APIs. Here we’ve highlighted 5 great Chrome apps using Google Maps API.


TripTrace

TripTrace organizes all the important places that you’ve been to or think you might want to visit; perfect for local exploration or vacation planning. Photos, events, and news are merged with your personal address book, check-ins, bookmarked web pages and more.


Wikihood

Wikihood World Browser gives users with a unique way to browse and discover knowledge. By organizing Wikipedia articles geographically, users can quickly find information about a given location on the map. Wikihood makes browsing even easier by providing a short synopsis of an article on the left side when the article’s geolocation is selected on the map.


Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs is a great GPS management tool. Users can visualize, organize, edit, and share GPS data collected from any GPS enabled device (including Android devices!). Breadcrumbs is also integrated with the Google Earth API for 3D visualizations.


Delta Embark

Whether you’re planning your next vacation, trying to find a restaurant on your next business trip, or just looking for some travel inspiration this Chrome optimized travel guide is a delight to use. Travel planning made fun and easy, brought to you by Delta Airlines!


Weatherbug

Don’t be late to Grandma’s this holiday season! Weatherbug let’s you view your weather and get the latest local current conditions, forecast, traffic information, and more for thousands of locations around the world.

To learn more about adding your apps to the Chrome Web Store, check out our developer documentation about apps and the store.

Posted by Carlos Cuesta, Maps API Product Marketing Manager



Directions, the way you want them

We recently released advanced options for getting public transit directions on Google Maps, helping you customize your route based on your personal preferences.

We work hard to provide the right results to get from A to B, but sometimes riders have their own preferences. For example, you might not mind a longer journey if it means fewer transfers; or you may prefer traveling by bus or train, rather than subway, to have views of your route. You can now specify these preferences and alter your route results by clicking the “Show options” link below your destination:
We hope that this new feature makes it easier for you to find your way! To get started, please visit maps.google.com/transit.