The big day is here, and if you're finding yourself short on time to pick up a mushy stock card from the drug store, you could send a sweet and personalized evalentine to your love to remind them of a special location you both share instead. Thanks to Google Maps, it's super easy to Map Your Valentine. Just enter your valentine's email address, a location (some ideas may be where you met, where Read more

If you're on the go, using a smartphone to navigate a road trip or long drive puts you at a serious advantage. There are plenty of apps to track traffic and apps to help you on a road trip. Now, the latest update to Google Maps for Android will navigate you around traffic, finding the fastest route from point A to point B. Previously, the app found the fastest route based on distance and Read more

In an effort to improve and smarten up search results, Google launched the Knowledge Graph today. Previously, Google's search algorithm matched a string of letters or keywords to websites containing those letters, but keywords often have deeper meanings than face value. Google created the Knowledge Graph in response to the need for a more intelligent search model that better understands the Read more

Turn your neighborhood into a Google Maps blanket — Geekosystem If Mother's Day cards were honest — Cracked R2-D2 takes on coffee duties — Dvice Facebook tries charging users to promote posts — Newser Gorgeous Avengers concept art — SlashFilm The record-breaking Kickstarter watch — Tecca The most beautiful social networking app — FWD Read more

The Internet has collectively been helping Japan since the moments after the massive earthquake that struck nearly two weeks ago. One of the major players, Google, has laid out the best ways to help in a recent blog post. Here's a quick rundown: An official crisis response page aggregates all of Google's efforts; check it out for the latest news. Google's person finder has gone beyond its Read more

Google Street View has taken us through our own neighborhoods, down Olympic ski slopes, and even inside art museums. Now, it's taking us where cars can't go using the Trike, a bicycle outfitted with street view equipment to pedal around areas where cars can't go. The Trike has been collecting data since 2009, and Google recently introduced the new images to street view. Castles, gardens, parks, Read more

The work of Berlin-based artist Aram Bartholl examines the blurred lines between our physical lives and encroaching digital borders. His public art series, Map uses the familiar red destination marker from Google Maps to question how technology dictates the center of the city and how it then directs citizens' real lives. Aram took further inspiration in creating a near 20-foot high scale model Read more

The latest Google Maps update for Android smartphones is set to be our Summer traveling savior. Google Maps can now be downloaded for offline viewing, perfect for those times when a phone loses a data signal or while abroad and without a foreign data plan. While you still have a WiFi connection, look up the Google Places page of your desired location (Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, etc.), Read more

In a policy revision announced this week, Google will be instituting one blanket privacy policy across their many web products with the reasoning that they're building a streamlined user experience. The data from your activity and habits on one Google-owned site will be stored in their servers and shared across all their sites. The legal speak details for Google's new Terms of Service are Read more