PopSugar

Find the Distance Between Two Points With a Google Mashup

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:05:26 -0800

When you use Google Maps, the distance you're getting from point A to B is in driving, walking, or public transportation terms. But, if you just need to find the distance between two points on a map, then check out this cool Google Map mashup: Distance From To. It works just like Google Maps where you put in your starting and ending point, and gives you exact distance in kilometers and miles, but leaves out all that messy info like turn-by-turn directions and traffic. Besides, who needs traffic anyway?

Website of the Day: HousingMaps

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:26:27 -0700

If you're house hunting, Craigslist can be a great resource for finding a sweet rental property. But once you're inside Craigslist, you usually have to click around Google Maps to find the whereabouts of online listings. Not anymore! Because a site called HousingMaps is a mashup of Craigslist and Google Maps - showing you listings on the right side (which you can click on for the actual posting) with locations on a map on the left. You can also narrow down searches by price and bedrooms. And if your city isn't on the list, you can also check out MapsKrieg, which works the same way and includes many more cities but doesn't list the listings like HousingMaps.

Have a great website you want to share with geeksugar readers? Share it when you read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

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!

Site Combines Google Maps And Craigslist

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 10:00:31 -0700

If you, or anyone you know is looking for a new place to live, you'd better check out MapsKrieg.com, a mashup of Google Maps and Craigslist.org that will help you find apartments, houses for rent, sublets or whatever living arrangement you are looking. (Well, it won't help you figure out how to move in with Justin of Justin.tv, but I'll keep scoping out tips for all you interested ladies.)

MapsKrieg.com allows you to pick your city from a pull-down list - not every city is available, but most major metropolitan areas are represented at this point. The usual Google Map will pop up for the city with the reddish balloon markers indicating Craiglist's ad for apartments and houses at that location. When you click on the balloon you get a white bubble with a snipit from the Craiglist ad and a link to the real post. It may not be the most complete way to search for a new crib, but it takes the pain out of weeding through the usual Craigslist search results and skipping all the shady streets.

Source

New Google Maps Tricks and Tips

GeekSugar — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:10:36 -0700

Oh Google Maps, how would I ever get on without you? Just in case you missed my last roundup of mind-blowing things you can achieve with Google Maps, here it is for you to check out. And now I've got my latest installment of fun features, useful mashups and other great ways to incorporate Google Maps into your day-to-day life.

View Slideshow ›

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.

Google Introduces 'My Maps'

GeekSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:30:13 -0700

Google launched My Maps today, which is a new feature of the search engine's popular map program that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing through search. The program will essentially give users 'wiki-like' control of maps and allow you to personalize and save your favorite spots around the globe. Here's more:

From chronicling trips, to sharing tips and documenting academic endeavors, My Maps empowers users to create content-rich maps that are relevant to their interests, expertise, or personal needs.

With My Maps users can:

Mark locations on a map from a library of icons
Draw lines and shapes to highlight paths and areas
Add text, photos, or YouTube/Google Videos to a map
Add HTML for further personalization and view their maps in Google Earth

Users can choose to make their My Maps unlisted or public. Unlisted maps are intended for personal use or sharing with friends and family by email. Public My Maps will be accessible through Google Maps search along with maps shared by other web sites. Check out a fun sample map.

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: 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 Now Offers Suggested Routes

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:32:00 -0700

I tend to rely on Google Maps a little too much for directions (that or GPS maps on my iPhone). But every now and then, I decide I want to mix up the trip and take a different route. Sometimes I'll just move the travel points on the map to change the travel route, but I never know if it's an effective way to get to my destination.

Well Google has just announced that you can now access alternate routes under the Suggested Routes heading in Google Maps. What's great is that the suggested routes aren't just "alternate travel routes" but directions that actually make sense for a variety of reasons, including cost, distance, travel time, and more.