GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Google Adds Transit Layer to Its Maps Interface

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:30:41 -0800

Thanks to Google, you can now check out the layout of public transportation systems in more than 50 cities. To access, just click the More button at the top of Google Maps. - TechCrunch
Rumor has it that the Palm Pre may be exclusively sold at Best Buy Mobile and Sprint stores for the first two months. - Gizmodo
The recently released portrait of Barack Obama is the first official picture of a US president to be taken with a digital camera. By the way, the camera used was a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. - Switched
Analysts are predicting that Steve Jobs's five-month medical leave will likely be permanent. - Wired
Check out these creative geek-inspired posters, which were designed by a 21-year-old UK artist. - Unplggd

Google Maps Gets NYC Transit Directions

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:00:36 -0700

Go Google! I've already confessed how much I love Google Maps, and that was even before the latest news - Google Maps now offers transit info for the entire New York metro region! With the transit option you can check out transit stops in your area and view station information and schedules. Did you know that Google Maps offers transit info for other cities like Chicago and San Francisco? Be sure to see if your city is on the list. Oh, and if you need to find out what time your train is going to arrive while on the go, you can visit m.google.com/nyc for transit directions on your cell phone.

Geek Tip: Plan Trips With Google Transit

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:00:41 -0700

I love taking public transportation whenever I can because it's easy, affordable and stress free. So when Google announced its Google Transit trip-planning assistant, I was overjoyed!

With Google Transit you can create your own transit trip, which comes complete with itineraries and maps. You can specify when you want to leave or arrive, compare the cost of various public transportation methods and see all the route possibilities. For instance in Pittsburgh, you can find out how to get from brunch at Pamela's to a 1pm matinee at the Waterfront- very cool!

The only downfall is it only includes 12 cities in the United States and Japan at the moment. But stay tuned for future city additions. All I can say is Google has been on quite the roll lately!

Geek Tip: Find Your Way on Public Transit With Google Maps

GeekSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:03:09 -0700

I use public transit every day and rarely drive, unless I'm going out of town. And as much as I love my city, their trip planners are not as helpful as they could be. So where do you go for some bus- and train-hopping advice? You head on over to Google Maps, of course!

GoogleMaps has an awesome public-transportation database that tells you which bus to get. Enter your start and end addresses (or zip codes), select which mode you want (here in SF, you can take Muni, Bart, or Caltrain to get around), and the Google guru will do the rest. Plus it seems pretty reliable, as I've tried it twice for places I've never been before and happily arrived within 10 minutes of the ETA that Google Maps provided. And since Google is racking up the cities that they can map out for you, you should always be able to find your way - and be a bit more earth friendly to boot!

Daily Tech: Is Touch Screen DSLR Inevitable?

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:59 -0700

Is a touch screen DSLR inevitable? - Wired
Buckingham Palace announces the Royal Family has joined Twitter. - BBC News
On the road with Autonet in-car WiFi. - CNET
NFL says it will not permit in-game twittering. - Switched
Avoid getting your wireless network hacked. - Unplggd
How to ease your transition to Google Voice. - Lifehacker

Geek Tip: Use Google My Maps to Plan Vacations

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:31:32 -0700

Planning your 2009 vacations? Whether you're planning a group trip or just going to a new city for the first time, Google Maps' My Maps is your ideal companion.

Create a My Map by finding the location you're visiting in Google Maps. Click "Save to My Maps," then "Create a New Map," and you just need to name it, like "New York Spring 2009." From there, you can make a myriad of markers for where you're staying, where your airport is, what transit you can use, and places you want to see.

To see why else I like Google My Maps, just read more.

Great for any vacation, but this is really a great tool when you're going on a group vacation. To share the map, just click "Collaborate," and you can share the map and the ability to edit and add markers with anyone you're going with. I've used this to let everyone plot out places they wanted to visit while in the vacation city, which makes planning days out super simple, when you can see what things are near each other, as well as give you a tangible sense of where you're going.

Having people from out of town visit you? Set up a My Map for them showing your address, where their hotel is, and restaurants and other places that would be helpful for them (like say, for out-of-town guests attending a wedding).

Daily Tech: Amazon Announces Kindle App For the iPhone

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:03:41 -0800

I'm loving the fact that Amazon has just launched a free Kindle application for the iPhone or iPod Touch. - MobileCrunch
Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, recently bashed Twitter at a Morgan Stanley technology conference, saying it was a "poor man's email system." - Valleywag
Check out an unboxing of a brand new iMac. - Engadget
A recent survey showed that 97 percent of Germans aged 19 to 20 would rather keep their cell phones over their partners. - Switched
Comcast is currently testing out a WiFi service at about 120 New Jersey Transit rail stations. - CNET

This Week on geeksugar: Headlines and Holidays

GeekSugar — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 10:30:41 -0800

What better way to get into the holiday spirit then by Elfing Yourself?! Similar to the website MagMyPic that puts you on the cover of a magazine of your choice, ElfYourself helps you put your head, your mom's head, your friend's head, your dog's head (okay, you catch my drift) on a dancing elf.
Now that you've got your USB Christmas Cake and USB twinkling Christmas tree, why not top it off with a USB Christmas wreath?!
Google rolled out its fair share of neat new services, apps, and features this year. From personalized homepages, Google's My Maps, Google Transit, Goog-411, Google Street View and Google Docs Mobile, which one would you say is your favorite?
This past year has definitely seen its fair share of big tech stories. It feels like yesterday we were lining up outside the Apple store for the highly anticipated iPhone launch! And who can forget the countdown to the ultra chic Leopard OS X operating system? What was the biggest tech news story of 2007?

If you had your hopes set on getting a Kindle this holiday season, I hate to break it to you but you may be outta luck. Not only because they are sold out till after Christmas, but because you may not get wireless connectivity where you live, making your Kindle virtually useless. You better check if the Kindle will work in your area.
With only a few weeks left till Christmas, you may be in need of some last minute gift ideas. If you've been keeping up with my holiday gift guides you'll know all the hottest gadgets this holiday season. Check out my guide to getting your girlfriends holiday gifts.
Well it's about time. Okay, I won't rip into Google for adding this new Gmail feature a little late, but I guess it's better late than never! Geek Tip: Gmail finally gets colored labels.

What Were Your Favorite New Google Features of 2007?

GeekSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:00:40 -0800

Google certainly rolled out its fair share of neat new services, apps, and features this year including Google's personalized homepages, Google's My Maps, Google Transit, Goog-411, Google Street View and Google Docs Mobile. If you had to pick just one (I know it's hard), which one would you say is your favorite? Scroll down to leave your answer!