Google Street View captures a proud moment for one Aussie

by Meg Massie on

Since its launch in May of 2007, Google Street View has been a source of controversy. The Google feature offers web surfers 360° street-level views around hundreds of cities worldwide. Some of the photos, taken by a car-mounted video camera, have captured some personal moments, like people entering adult book stores, leaving strip clubs, picking their noses, and entering buildings with questionable methods.

Critics claim that posting photos of these things on the internet is a privacy violation. But Google’s not breaking any laws. All the photos are taken in public places, and the company has even taken steps to decrease its questionable content, from blurring faces to allowing users to flag photos that may be inappropriate.

The latest Street View gem comes from the new Australian Street View. There, cameras caught a young man passed out drunk on his front lawn. The man claims he’d been drinking all weekend after the death of his best mate. While he knows what he did was dumb, he wasn’t pleased when the photo was posted for the whole world to see. Amid the controversy, Google removed the image from its Street View page.

Remember — just because there’s not a crowd around you, that doesn’t mean you have privacy when you’re out in the open. You may laugh now, but just wait until Google’s cameras come to your town…

Google Maps Street View catches what looks like a drug deal in Chicago

by Justin Glow on

That pesky Google van with the camera is up to its old shenanigans again! This time, it snapped what looks like a drug deal in progress on the streets of south Chicago. Of course, it could be something completely innocent; handing money through a car window isn’t illegal. Maybe the gentleman’s grandmother was headed to the grocery store and he wanted her to pick-up some milk and eggs for him? Or maybe he was buying the car. Remember, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

[Via NOTCOT]

Google Maps Street View Circa 1907

by Justin Glow on

I’m sure by now most of you have heard of or even played around with the new Google Maps Street View. If you’ve been reading Gadling for even a few months, you’ll know that we gushed about the feature on numerous occasions. (1, 2, 3, 4)

It turns out that Google wasn’t the first to develop this technology. (And no, I’m not talking about Amazon.com’s A9 or whatever it was called.) Way back in 1907, before conventional road atlases were made, Rand McNally released “Photo Auto-maps” which gave drivers a visual pathway for navigation, much like the Google Maps Street View of today.

Cool! [via]

JetBlue Adding Real-Time Google Maps In-Flight

by Justin Glow on

Low-cost American airline JetBlue announced yesterday they have struck a deal with search giant Google to provide the familiar Google Maps software on the seat-back screens to map the flight’s route in real-time. Family and friends will also be able to pull up JetBlue.com and track any flight via the same Google Maps interface.

In celebration of the deal, JetBlue is running a contest called “JetBlue Point of View.” All you have to do to enter is take a picture from the window of any JetBlue flight between June 4th and September 3rd and email it to jetbluecommunity@gmail.com. Winners will be selected based on “aesthetic presentation, creativity, design, and audience appeal” on September 10th, and the top ten photos selected will earn their taker two free round-trip tickets to and from anywhere JetBlue flies.

Google Maps Skyview anyone?

Google Streetview Round-Up

by Willy Volk on

Whether or not you think Google’s new Streetview application violates privacy issues, there’s no denying that — in only a week — Streetview immediately became a glorious time-suck for for countless Internet-addicts.

Arguably better than actually leaving your house (think: no gas, no smog, no getting lost, no road rage), Streetview offers people the chance to see parts of the US they might not otherwise see. Granted, most Streetviewers are likely looking for naked women, amusing photo-gaffes, or sketchy activity, but who are we to dig in our heels before progress?

In that spirit, therefore, here are the 10 best sites for armchair travelers to get their Streetview fix.

  1. Mapmole: Mapmole allows users to submit links to interesting, unique, or strange things found through Streetview. Thereafter, other users can vote for their favorite images.
    PRO: Thumbnails are provided so users can see if clicking over is worth the effort.
    CON: Doesn’t open Google maps for you to explore further.
  2. Street View Fun: Incorporating Digg’s buttons in its site, Street View Fun clearly has long-term plans.
    PRO: I like the Top 10 feature.
    CON: Allowing users to both “star” and Digg an image seems like overkill.
  3. View Sightings: Presented with familiar “blog”-feel, View Sightings presents big, juicy images.
    PRO: Those big, juicy images.
    CON: Not much content.
  4. Streetview Links: Allows users to assign points to particular images.
    PRO: Plenty of content.
    CON: No images whatsoever — just provocative one-line descriptions.
  5. Laudon Tech’s Favorites: Content-rich, Laudon Tech is little more than a link dump, though a rating system is in the works.
    PRO: Updated daily, it has plenty of content.
    CON: No images whatsoever — just one-line descriptions.
  6. Geo-Trotter: Though the site is in French, it’s still well worth checking out.
    PRO: Features slightly different content than many of its competitors.
    CON: That whole French thing.
  7. Streetviewr: Clean site with little to distract the serious viewer.
    PRO: Lots of links.
    CON: No thumbnails, just those snappy one-liners to tempt you into clicking.
  8. Streetlenz: Simple layout with thumbnails.
    PRO: Thumbnails…
    CON: …which are inscrutably small.
  9. StreetViewVoyeur: Ultra-simple design.
    PRO: Some of the links are described by location, which could be handy if you’re searching for things in certain areas.
    CON: No images on the site itself.
  10. Wired Blog’s Threat Level: Not surprisingly, it’s probably the most convenient to use.
    PRO: Big images and the ability to vote for or against images.
    CON: That odd scrolling list of images is clunky.

BONUS: If you’re into music, be sure to check out Rolling Stone’s collection of famous rock landmarks. From the real Paul’s Boutique to Bob Dylan’s first New York apartment, this is a fun tour of rock and roll history — without leaving your home. Very, very cool.

More on Google Streetview:
* The Google Streetview Vehicle Revealed
* Google Streetview Finds One Fugly Buick and More
* Google Streetview Car: Take a Look at The Vehicle That’s looking At You