Thursday, 8 October 2009
Free calling now to Hawaii and Alaska
You can initiate free calls to Alaska and Hawaii from your inbox online, from our mobile apps, or by dialing your own Google Voice number from one of your phones and selecting option 2 to place a call. You can also forward calls to your Google Voice number to Alaskan or Hawaiian phones for free.
Please note that Google Voice is only available in the US, and you'll need a working US phone to setup a Google Voice account.
Quickly view formatted PDFs in your search results
Posted by: Jesse Kinkead, Software Engineer
Quickly view formatted PDFs in your search results
Posted by: Jesse Kinkead, Software Engineer
A gold medal-worthy Street View update
Now, whether from your chesterfield or smart phone, you can explore 360-degree street-level photographs of Canadian hotspots ranging from Parliament Hill and the CN Tower to Old Quebec City and Halifax's Pier 21. We're also thrilled to be shining a light on the site of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games by including imagery of Vancouver and Whistler.
Whistler Creekside
Toronto's CN Tower
- City of Vancouver - With the world coming to this great Canadian city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, explore what it has to offer using Street View and plan your visit
- Tourism British Columbia - Using Street View imagery embedded on pages throughout their site, plan your trip to the province hosting the 2010 Winter Games
- Tourisme Montréal - Get down to street level and find out why this is considered one of North America's most unique cities
- Heritage Toronto - Explore Toronto's storied buildings, museums and iconic structures
- ChicWalks.com - Take a shopping tour of top fashion cities using Street View
Promenez-vous virtuellement au Canada et en République tchèque
En tant qu'ancien résident de Toronto, l'une des plus belles expériences dont je me souviens est la découverte de la ville à bord d'un tramway le long de Queen Street West. Perché au-dessus des voitures et des cyclistes, j'ai pu découvrir les boutiques vibrantes et animées, les parcs et les communautés résidentielles en développement. Je suis heureux de vous annoncer que nous avons élargi notre couverture de Street View dans Google Maps afin d'inclure certaines régions du Canada et de permettre à d'autres personnes de découvrir virtuellement cette même promenade en tramway.
À présent, à partir de votre canapé ou de votre téléphone intelligent, vous pouvez découvrir des images à 360° au niveau de la rue de lieux prisés du Canada, de l'Assemblée Nationale, à la Tour CN, en passant par le Vieux-Québec et la Jetée 21 d'Halifax. Nous sommes également heureux de pouvoir mettre en vedette les sites des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques de 2010 en proposant des images de Vancouver et Whistler.
Parallèlement à la mise à jour de Street View Canada, nous sommes heureux de déployer Street View dans Google Maps en République tchèque - un autre pays qui adore le hockey!
Au Canada, nous sommes enchantés de notre partenariat avec les organisations suivantes dans le cadre de ce lancement :
- Ville de Vancouver—Le monde afflue vers cette ville fantastique du Canada, alors découvrez ce qu'elle a à offrir en utilisant Street View sur Google Maps
- Tourism British Columbia—En utilisant les images Street View intégrées sur les pages de leur site Web tout entier, planifiez votre voyage dans cette province qui accueillera les Jeux olympiques d'hiver 2010
- Tourisme Montréal—Plongez dans les rues pour découvrir pourquoi cette ville est considérée comme l'une des plus exceptionnelles d'Amérique du Nord
- Heritage Toronto—Explorez les bâtiments étagés de Toronto, ses musées et ses structures iconiques
- ChicWalks.com—Visitez les boutiques des plus grandes villes de la mode en utilisant Street View sur Google Maps
Pour regarder ces images, il vous suffit de vous rendre sur Google Maps et de glisser le bonhomme (icône en haut à gauche) à l’endroit de votre choix sur la carte. Les bordures bleues indiquent l’emplacement où vous pouvez obtenir un point de vue au niveau de la rue. À partir de là, vous pouvez repérer un lieu de rencontre avec vos amis, voir si votre destination offre une aire de stationnement, ou encore explorer votre nouveau quartier ou votre nouvelle ville. Nous vous prions de bien vouloir nous excuser si votre région n'est pas encore couverte : nous y travaillons.
Visitez le site global de Street View où vous trouverez différents conseils utiles et des vidéos de présentation. Si vous êtes responsable d'un site Web ou d'un blog, vous pouvez également y ajouter ces nouvelles images Street View en utilisant My Maps ou l'API Google Maps.
Veuillez noter également que nous avons pris des mesures exceptionnelles afin de protéger la vie privée de nos utilisateurs, tout en nous assurant que chacun puisse tirer parti de ce service. Street View dans Google Maps contient uniquement des images déjà visibles par toute personne qui se promène ou circule sur la voie publique, et aucune image n’est en « temps réel ». En outre, Street View utilise une technologie de brouillage pour masquer les visages identifiables et les plaques d’immatriculation des véhicules.
Si vous découvrez une image que vous considérez inacceptable ou inappropriée, vous pouvez facilement la signaler pour en demander le retrait en cliquant sur « Signaler un problème » dans n’importe quelle fenêtre Street View. Lors du développement de Street View dans Google Maps et de ses mécanismes de protection de la vie privée, nous avons consulté les autorités à la protection de la vie privée du Canada et de la République tchèque.
En plus de Vancouver, Squamish et Whistler, on propose des images de Banff, Calgary, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec et Halifax. Nous espérons que vous apprécierez votre visite virtuelle unique du Canada et de la République tchèque.
Posted by Mike Pegg, Product Marketing Manager
YouTube EDU goes international - a global classroom for all
The international version now includes a drop-down menu to filter content based on language of choice. For example, select French and find content from HEC in Paris and also the French-Canadian University of Montreal, or set to 'All' to browse videos in all languages. The Directory also enables subjects to be browsed - e.g. select 'Business', 'Engineering' or 'Literature' to see content available. Although this feature is currently only available for English at the moment, we are looking to roll-out to languages as more universities join.
Now, go learn something!
Posted by Anna De Paula Hanika on behalf of the YouTube EDU team
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Get your money's worth with cloud-based messaging
In a September 2009 study, Osterman Research found that decision makers typically underestimate the cost of providing messaging services. According to Osterman, one-quarter of decision makers believe that their organizations spend less than $10 per seat per month to provide messaging services, while another one-third believe they spend anywhere from $10 to $15 per seat per month – but this cost estimate leaves out several important factors, particularly maintenance.
The research firm also found that the use of cloud-based email can allow organizations to focus more on their core business rather than devote resources to managing the messaging infrastructure.
Another analyst firm, Forrester Research, found that for a 15,000-person firm requiring archiving, the fully loaded cost of on-premise email was $25.18 per user per month compared to a cost of $8.47 for Google Apps.
But it's not all about cost savings – you need more than just a cheaper messaging solution. You also want one that can help your workforce achieve more. Moving to the cloud and Google Apps can help you streamline your IT infrastructure and provide a platform for innovation and increased employee satisfaction.
On October 8, join us for a live webcast as Google Apps expert, Rhonda Stites, walks through a simple financial model that evaluates the savings in adopting Google Apps. You will hear about real customer experiences, get your questions answered and have the tools you need to bring substantial value to your organization.
Register now to learn more about the potential cost savings for your organization.
Save Money with Cloud Computing and Google Apps
Thursday, October 8, 2009
11:00 a.m. PDT / 2:00 p.m. EDT / 6:00 p.m. GMT
We hope to see you there!
Posted by Serena Satyasai, Google Apps team
*Note: The pricing and features available in each architecture vary by provider. Download the full independent research report, “Should Your Email Live In The Cloud? A Comparative Cost Analysis,” Forrester Research, Inc., January 2009.
Get timely updates on new features in Google Apps by subscribing to our RSS feed or email alerts.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
A splash of color to your browser: Artist Themes for Google Chrome
In the most recent stable release of Google Chrome, we looked at ways to make a snappy, simple browser even more customizable, and we're happy to hear that you've enjoyed personalizing Google Chrome's look and feel with a few of our early themes for the browser.
Today, we are introducing Artist Themes for Google Chrome. We invited leading artists, architects, musicians, illustrators, filmmakers and fashion and interior designers from across the globe to create artwork for an unusual canvas: the modern web browser. The result is a vibrant fusion of art and technology, with a hundred Artist Themes that we hope will add a touch of inspiration and delight to your web browsing experience with Google Chrome.
One of our favorite themes comes from Yulia Brodskaya, whose innovative paper art techniques and passion for typography and illustration have brought her into the international spotlight. We were particularly intrigued by Yulia's approach to the design challenge at hand, explained in her own words:
I was really curious to see how the traditional paper craft, which I use for creating my work, can be applied to the Google Chrome browser. I made a quick pencil sketch first, choosing the two main elements for my theme: green jungle leaves for the top and a very colourful parrot to accompany it. Then I followed my usual working pattern and created a physical artwork out of edge glued paper stripes. I used the photographs of the paper leaves and parrot to design my theme layout, and sent the resulting mock-up to Google designers who brought the whole thing to life.
We're honored to have the opportunity to work with a hundred artists around the world, including Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer, Karim Rashid, Jonathan Adler, Oscar de la Renta, Anita Kunz, Tom Sachs, Kate Spade, Donna Karan, Kid Robot, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Graves, Todd Oldham, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Mariah Carey, and Wes Craven (and that's just to name a few!). Many, many thanks to all the artists for lending their vision, imagination, and hard work to this collaboration.
If you haven't tried Google Chrome recently, download the latest version and give the Artist Themes a whirl. If you're already using Google Chrome, you can check out the themes gallery and try on your favorite Artist Themes.
Posted by Glen Murphy, Software Engineer, and Mark Sabec, Associate Product Marketing Manager
Featured Map Makers: Faraz & Jabran
Posted by Jennifer Mazzon, Maps Community Organizer