Thursday, April 01, 2010

Street View in 3D - Updated

Google Street View in 3D

Get your 3D glasses out for Google Maps!

Google.org.cn have picked up on some big news from Where 2.0 that seems to have gone unnoticed elsewhere. Google Maps has released a new 3D version of Street View. The new feature is available from the Google Labs link at the top of Google Maps (which you will only see if you are signed into your Google account).

It is possible to view 3D Street View now (without going into Google Labs). Check out this 3D view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

Of course you will need to have a pair of 3D glasses handy to appreciate this new Google Maps feature.

Hat-tip: Street View Funny

Google Maps Directions Translated into Australian
The Google Maps in Australia domain has finally gotten around to providing driving directions in Australian.

Goodonya Google!

If your first language is Aussie then you should now be able to follow Google Maps driving directions without loading up Google Translate.

Conversely any English speakers visiting Australia may want to use the American or English domains for Google Maps if they want to understand driving directions whilst in the country.


Unblur Button Added to Street View


Google Sightseeing noticed today that in the UK Google Maps are being forced to add an unblur button to Google Street View.

The UK's Freedom of Information Act says that if an organisation receives a request from an individual to view data held about them then they have to comply. Therefore Google have been forced to add an unblur button to Street View so that individual's can view any original images of themselves in Street View.

Google Sightseeing
have already spotted a few images that have had the unblur processing applied in UK Street View images (for example the before and after image above).


Google Canoodle

According to today's Guardian newspaper Google Maps are using Leeds in the UK to test a new river based version of Street View.

"The service will map the waterways of Great Britain using a canoe-based camera."

From the Archives

Here is some news that Google released early in April last year.

Google Pigeon Watch


Despite Google's ungoing arguments with the Chinese government I'm pleased to say that Ditu's (Google Maps in China), pigeon information carriers are still in operation.

Each pigeon carries a “Wireless rechargeable foot ring ... that makes it capable of 16 hours work.” If you are lucky enough to spot one of Ditu's winged data carriers say "coo, coo, coo" to the pigeon. Google will then show you information from the neighbourhood in which you found the bird.

gBall
Google Australia's GPS enabled football, the gBall, can now be tracked on Google Maps.

According to Google the ball,

"will be used in all school and amateur competitions - and will go on sale to the public - this weekend."


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9 comments:

  1. hmm I saw that 3D thing this morning but I switched it on and off and the image didn't change. Probably needs to stay in the lab a while longer

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  2. @ Craig - it is actually working now, although I don't have any glasses so can't comment on how good it actually is.

    PS - I would check it out today as I have a feeling this might disappear tomorrow.

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  3. Anonymous4:20 AM

    It seems that it wasnt an April Fools. http://googlestreetview3d.com still shows the doll with glasses

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  4. Which colors' glasses need for the 3D Street View? Known 4 standards: 1) left magenta/right green; 2) left green/right magenta; 3) amber/blue and 4) red/blue glasses.

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  5. I just tried it with 3D glasses we got from the Avatar movie and it's not working too good. Are there particular glasses needed or a 3D monitor needed or ?????

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  6. This is 3-D anaglyph, so use the red-cyan cheapo glasses. Get' em for free at rainbowsymphony.com
    or dig through your kid brother's closet and find the glasses used to see Spy Kids 3D.

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  7. I've got some black lensed 3D glasses that my son used from Spykids - tried them out on G-maps - nothing doing.

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  8. @Jane - this was just for April Fool's Day - it proved so popular that Google kept it up for a few days but it is gone now.

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  9. God knows wat they gonna do for next April? :P

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