Google’s first big change from the Google I/O conference The new responsive design of Google+ has been rolled out to a limited set of users is image focused, multi-column, and loads more quickly than before. Here’s a screenshot of what the feed looks like: It seems to be a limited release. After checking with some friends, nobody else seems to have it available. Google is known to roll out changes to a small section of users from time to time. In this case, I like the change. It’s actually quite a bit like the old Facebook look but it definitely has a Pinterestesque feel to it. They’ve also added some nice…

Apple has been the butt end of many jokes since it launched its failure of an app: Apple Maps. Since then, they’ve tried to fix it but many people simply won’t be fooled a second time. Thankfully, there is no shortage of map apps out there that can run on an iPhone or iPad. This video by Hack College gives us their version of the top 5 alternatives. …

Traveling can be logistically hard and fiscally challenging, even when staying in the boundaries of the United States. There are so many places to see, so many activities to do, and so many roads to drive that getting a great view of the wonders of America can be challenging. For those who simply want to get a good view and “see” the spectacular sites of the country, we have Google Street View. You won’t be able to smell the dusty air of the Grand Canyon or taste a slice of real New York Pizza in front of the Empire State Building, but you can get a pretty detailed visual of these attractions and others from…

The human rights atrocities in North Korea are no laughing matter and Google is doing their part with a different sort of activism, exposing many of the known concentration camps on Google maps and even calling them “gulags” in some cases. As CNN reported, they are showing more than just the monuments now. They’re putting nuclear facilities and buildings known for torture on their service. According to Buzzfeed: The purpose is obvious: to make the existence of these camps known; to point out that North Korea is secretive, and would never release this data on its own; to emphasize that the country…

The Apple versus Google battle has been waging since well before anyone even knew there was a rift between the tech giants. Their relationship seemed fine to outsiders for years who saw no legal battles between them and integration of Google products as default on the iPhone, including Google Maps. What was brewing behind the scenes between the last two CEOs at each company was a heated enmity. Today, the smartphone market itself is the battleground but the individual battle that intrigues most is the battle between the voice-recognizing software that turns iOS and Android into virtual assistants…

Just about everyone who is familiar with Google Maps has explored a distant land at one point or another. Big cities like Moscow, Sydney, and Jerusalem are accessible in ways that we could have hardly imagined a decade ago. As Google continues to expand their catalog of cities on Google Maps Street View, they are finding ways to reach the most remote communities. In the video below, they went to Cambridge Bay, a tiny community with a distinct culture and people that most would never have known about without this promo piece. For better or for worse, Google is opening our eyes to people and places that…

Google is notorious for tracking people’s activities online. In fact, the search giant probably knows more about your own habits than you do yourself. Google stepped it recently up when they allowed users the ability to explore their location data with Latitude. But now that data will be available on Android devices too, along with a few more upgrades. A recent Google Maps update (to version 5.3) has enabled a few new interesting bits of functionality for users of Google Latitude, a location service that enables users to check in and share their location data with friends. The first is the location…

Google has a present for those want access to sophisticated data with relation to our very own planet. It’s called Google Earth Engine, and it is Google’s attempt to better the world through scientific research. Users are free to explore this data right in their browser, and there is much more data on the way. So what is Google Earth Engine? Well, in Google’s words, they sum it up like this: Google Earth Engine brings together the world’s satellite imagery—trillions of scientific measurements dating back more than 25 years—and makes it available online with tools for scientists, independent…

Smart phone users love Google maps, as they should. It wasn’t too long ago when Google added turn-by-turn navigation, resulting in the anti-climactic killing of GPS manufacturers around the world. But now it is about to get even more interesting when Google releases Google Maps 5 for Android. On top of the feature list: we’re going to get 3D buildings! Initially, it doesn’t sound that mind blowing, until you realize the potential: people can potentially stare at the smart phones while walking with the GPS enabled and avoid running into mammoth-sized buildings, drive without ever taking their…