New Google Maps Beta Photo Tour

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 

This is our new Google maps features photo tour (2013).

We were invited to preview and test Google’s new maps beta interface yesterday, and we went through and created a whole photo tour, talking about what we liked, and what we didn’t. The full review is coming soon, but for now, enjoy the photo gallery of Google Maps 2013.

Below is the text from our photo tour. Each headline indicates a new photo.

Welcome To The New Google Maps

Currently, the new maps is invite-only. The browser limitations on the new maps are a bit disappointing (many features don’t work in the latest Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer).

This is particularly annoying because the current Chrome is such a RAM hog, that I can’t even keep it open. With only a few windows open, it shudders, occupying nearly 7 gigabytes of RAM.

The New Google Maps Interface

Simply put, the interface of the new maps is awesome. Gone is the giant white bar, stealing valuable screen real estate. Every function can be done straight from that white bar, and it’s close to instantaneous.  The new coloring, resembling Apple’s maps, is snazzy as well.

Finding the Best

The new Google Maps unfortunately still takes all context literally. I was expecting it to pick up some cognitive abilities from Google’s Now service, perhaps allowing it to understand phrases like “best” or “closest”.

No dice. On the bright side, sorting by top results and top reviewers does allow for the same functionality, albeit a bit more challenging to do.

Also a positive is the Circles feature, allowing you to take recommendations from friends, and share with your circles as well. I like the added social element.

Easy Access Features

Another fantastic addition to maps is a variety of shortcuts. Simply clicking on the white bar allows for instant traffic help, biking maps, public transportation, and directions. Many of these features are new to the online version of maps, or required a lot of work to do previously.

A bit Confused…

The instant results need some work (especially given that this is their own example). When searching for sushi in Boston, it came up with results in Florida, Italy, Switzerland, and Grenoble, but oddly enough not Boston (a major US city).

On the bright side, upon pressing the search button, it brought up results in Boston right away, displayed graphically on a map of the city.

Graphically Displayed Sites

One of maps’s prior weaknesses was that when searching, everything on the map was labelled with a letter (i.e “A”) and you had to look at the key to the right to figure out what anything was. Keys are certainly more functional on real maps, than digital ones.

On the new Google maps, everything is displayed graphically. Every place is labeled with name and category, getting rid of the need to constantly refer to keys. Great improvement there.

And Clicking Things is Better Too

Numerous enhancements to finding things fast have been made. First of all, simply double clicking anywhere on the map pulls up the address. Double clicking a restaurant pulls up reviews, menus, contact info, hours. It’s a fantastic integration of the formerly underutilized Zagat acquisition.

Finally, maps is now gesture based. New controls of the map make it much more touch/tablet friendly, and that’s certainly a positive.

One-touch Street View

After finding a location (by double clicking), getting directions is literally as easy as pressing one button. Another one touch feature is streetview. One click allows you to enter the new street view.

Google Street View is better than ever, because the expanded Window size means that you have an absolutely massive view of everything. I did some virtual street photography (see later).

Enhanced Google Earth

Google Earth is now built entirely into the new Google Maps, and available with a single click (if you have a supported browser – see photo 1). This is a great addition of a fantastic project. Another progressive step was the addition of 3D imagery, and building, which were previously only available in Google’s desktop earth app.

Photo Tours

Photo Tours of Famous sites are very nicely integrated into the new operating system.

Street[view] Photography

This is a tribute to Humans of New York, and the legendary band of street photographers it represents. This was just spotted in the new streetview.

new google maps

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Filed Under: Google, Google Maps, maps, navigation, news, photo, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Review: Windows 8 Kickstart, By James Howard Russell

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

When Microsoft released Windows 8, a lot of users were left dazed and confused, (see video at bottom), and even I had some unanswered questions. Windows 8 is designed (and confusingly so) to frustrate. Still, once you master all of its nuances, it’s got some incredible features that make it worth the hassle (maybe).

For new users of Windows 8 looking for guidance, I highly recommend James Howard Russell’s new book, Windows 8 Kickstart, which provides fantastic instructions on getting to know the OS, while also offering helpful tips and tricks for more experienced users.

One of the greatest testaments to Mr. Russell, is that he has managed to go into detail on a ridiculous number of features, while still breaking each step down into easy-to-follow directions. Learning becomes linear, and learning the operating system becomes much easier.

Ever detail, from the partners involved in creating the sports app, to the various different versions of print app, has been thoroughly researched, and it shows.

Another area of excellence, is in the book’s design. Kickstart makes frequent use of special side-boxes, screenshots, and tables, to make the book more enjoyable, and usable as a reference guide. After I read through it, I found myself frequently referring to Kickstart, as I tested Windows 8. It was my companion through the fire(too figurative?), helping me move my tests quickly along, and coming to my rescue if I got a confusing message of some kind , and didn’t know what to do next.

If I had this book when I started using Windows 8, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more

Check out this page, which illustrates my point on its’ design, and definitely pick Windows 8 Kickstart up here.
Screen Shot 2013-05-07 at 8.58.50 PM

 

 

 

 

PICK UP WINDOWS 8 KICKSTART IN E-BOOK OR PAPERBACK FORM HERE.

 

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Filed Under: microsoft, Reviews, windows, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Zagg Shield Review: Military Grade Screen Protectors?

April 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

While testing out the iWood case, due to the issue I’d mentioned in the design of the case, my past screen protector suffered some serious scratches, and they annoyed me quite a bit, so I went out and bought a Zagg invisible Shield screen protector for $25, hoping that their supposed “military grade protection” would hold true. Here’s my review after about a month of use.

Installation

This is one of the areas where Zagg excels beyond its’ competitors. Included with the shield is an arsenal of cleaning supplies that I used on setup. There’s a microfiber cloth, a squeegee card, and a whole spraying unit of antistatic cleaning solution and adhesive. Zagg makes it really easy to avoid the dreaded bubbles and dirt under the screen protector.

Even better is that the Zagg Invisible shield is completely removable  and you can even put it back on. I haven’t taken it off, so I can’t confirm this, but an employee at the store where I bought it informed me that it doesn’t leave residue.

Protection

Zagg’s “story” is that the material was originally created for use protecting military helicopter rotors. I can confirm that whatever material they use is quite durable. In one month of heavy use, the material doesn’t have a single scratch. My minor simulated damage testing didn’t yield any scratches either. It’s performing far better than any other screen protector I’ve ever had in the area of protection.

Apparently, Zagg also has a lifetime warranty on damage, which is a nice safety net in the event of an accident.

Feel

This is the area where the invisible shield impressed me the least. An important part of any screen protector is how it performs when used, and the shield just doesn’t feel great. The texture is a bit bumpy, and sticky, and when sliding there’s a bit of friction. It’s not terrible, but it’s the worst feeling screen protector I’ve owned.

Conclusion?

In the area of protection and installation, Zagg is unmatched. It does an excellent job with its propriatary material, of protecting phones from any form of damage. Unfortunately, that same material compromises performance a bit, and makes the phone a bit less enjoyable to use.

Despite its’ faults, I’m still thrilled with my invisible shield, and I would recommend it to those looking for an ultra-protective option in the screen protector market. The feel is a bit of a nuisance, but it’s decent enough that it’s not a big issue, and for the price, the warranty is a good deal. You can find them at most retailers, and on their website here.

Read up on dozens of other gadgets and accessories in our review section here.

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Filed Under: accessories, iphone, Reviews, screen, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Google Nexus 4 Review – Better Late than Never

March 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

nexus4

So  I was finally able to get my hands on the LG-made, Google Nexus 4 and I have been using it for about a month, now. It’s been a long time coming, but LG has done an absolutely horrid job of keeping it in stock. The only nice thing that came out of the ordering procedure was when it finally shipped (after about a week), Google was nice enough to upgrade my shipping to same day, which was good. Once I got the device though, I was stunned. As I took it out of the box, I was shocked at how gorgeous the device was. With absolutely nothing on the front besides the screen, it’s obvious that Google is going for a really simple understated design. Check out my review below.

Our Samsung Galaxy Note Review

Design: With glass on the front and back, it’s easy to see the design cues that the Nexus 4 took from the iPhone 4 and 4S. The problem with the iPhone though, was that it was very fragile. The nexus has Gorilla Glass 2 on both the front and the back, so this should help keep it relatively durable, although, I would still highly recommend picking up a case. The sides are made of a grippy, rubber feeling material that helped make it easier to hold. There is a chrome frame around the front of the device which really adds to the style that Google is going for.  On the front, there are absolutely no buttons, no logos and no carrier branding (thank god). It is one of the cleanest designed phones I have ever used. The biggest design feature is definitely the holographic sparkle pattern that shows up on the back of the device. It’s behind the glass so it doesn’t take away from the experience, but it looks very stylish.

Performance: The Nexus 4 ships with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU. This is a 1.5ghz quad core cpu. In other words it’s REALLY good. This is BY FAR the fastest phone I have ever used. Apps open almost instantaneously. It’s almost as if there is no loading. Because of its’ 2 Gigabytes of ram, you can open up as many apps as you’d like and multitask without slowing down the phone in the slightest. Gaming is also really good because of its Adreno 320 GPU which is as good, if not better than the GPU in the iPhone 5, so gaming looks beautiful and performs great.

Screen: Rivaling the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Nexus 4 has a 4.7″ Super LCD 2 IPS display. This is the exact same display technology that Apple uses with their iPhones and HTC with their One X flagship phone. This display means incredibly wide viewing angles and extremely true to life colors. With a resolution of 1280 x 768, the Nexus 4 clocks in with a pixel density of 320 PPI (the iPhone’s is 326 PPI), so when you use the Nexus 4 you’re going to see super sharp images, really crisp text and incredibly clear videos.

Software: The Nexus 4 runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. This version brings quick settings in the notification bar, lock screen widgets, gesture typing and a totally redesigned camera app with 360 degree panoramas. Because this is a Nexus device (made by Google), it will always run the latest version of android for 3 or 4 years to come, which is an extra perk for your investment. The Nexus 4 is completely supported by Google and is the most optimized, fast experience you will get from an android phone.

Here’s how to Transfer anything wirelessly from your Android Phone to your computer

Battery Life: This is something that many, many companies overlook these days. In my opinion, this year should be the year of the battery, where all the tech companies put their effort into attaining much better battery life instead of squeezing out the slightest bit of performance. The Nexus 4′s battery is pretty good. It gets me through the day with heavy usage and 45 – 50% remaining when I put it on the charger at 11:30. Although it is not any better (or any worse) than the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S3, it certainly isn’t bad.

Camera Nexus devices have always had a history of having really average cameras. Although LG did attempt to change this, they didn’t do as good a job as they could’ve. Don’t get me wrong; the camera isn’t bad! I was actually very impressed with the 8 megapixel photos and the 1080p HD videos it produced. The low light performance was pretty decent, rivaling the iPhone, but don’t expect it to compete against the new HTC one’s incredible camera.

The Final Verdict – Although this phone isn’t available through a carrier (other than T-Mobile), it is available for a really good price. At only $300 for the unlocked version from Google Play, it is one of the cheapest unlocked smartphones that you can buy brand new. From there,  you can then pop in any GSM sim card and you’re good to go. What you get for the price is incredible.  I highly recommend this device for anyone who wants a well designed, fast, beautiful android phone.

 

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Filed Under: 4g, Android, ATT, gmail, Google, Google Docs, Google drive, google play, Jellybean, LG, music, nexus, Reviews, Smartphone, technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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