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In an effort to debunk a supposed Google Maps murder scene, Reddit user "xythrowawayy" shared a simple trick to zoom in closer than Google Maps allows. Google lets you zoom in only so far, but if you make a small tweak to a URL for a given location, you may be able to zoom in a level or two closer. Here's how it works:

First, find a spot on Google Maps and zoom in as far as the "+" button above the magnification slider on the left edge of the map allows. Be sure to stop … Read more

The latest move by Google to connect its pre-existing services to its social network automatically ties relevant comments on Google+ to blogs hosted on Blogger, the company announced on Thursday.

The feature is not on by default. But once activated in the Blogger Dashboard, Google+ comments made about a blog post hosted by Blogger will appear alongside comments made directly on the blog without any extra effort from the blog owner.

"This way you can engage with more of your readers, all in one place," wrote Google engineer Yonatan Zunger in the blog post announcing the feature.

Blog … Read more

If you long for high-tech eyewear but can't afford, or wait, for Google Glass, these Japanese glasses let you record in HD for less than $100.

Mitamanma Megane from Japan's Thanko hide the camera in the frame and only cost 8,890 yen ($91). That's cheaper than similar products like Pivothead video glasses, which go for around $300. … Read more

The next generation of Android phones is coming, and you can't ignore the HTC One with its beautiful design that makes Apple fanboys drool. So we're taking the two of the best designed phones on the market and throwing them inside the Prizefight ring!

Does the iPhone 5 still have enough in the tank before its next refresh to hold off the hard-charging HTC One?

Or will the next generation of Android phones and HTC's cleaned-up Sense UI reign supreme in 2013?

Which is your Prizefight King of the Ring?

If all you envisioned developing by being an early recipient of Google Glass Explorer Edition was a quick resale profit, think again: Google has rules against reselling the wearable tech without its permission.

As the Web giant began shipping the high-tech specs this week, it also unveiled a host of developer preview documentation, specs, and rules about what developers could and couldn't do. One of those things, apparently, is reselling or even loaning the $1,500 device to someone else. Developers who do risk having their prized specs deactivated. … Read more

Google Fiber's blazingly fast gigabit Internet speeds will come to Provo, Utah, later this year, Google and the city announced today.

Although Provo is already wired for fiber, Google Fiber general manager Kevin Lo said at the press conference revealing the partnership that the company will need to upgrade the current fiber network, which has seen several owners since it was built in 2004.

Google Fiber will bring "free basic broadband service for every Provo resident for at least seven years, and free gigabit connectivity for hospitals and schools," he said.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was enthusiastic … Read more

The next American city to land the gigabit speeds of Google Fiber will be Provo, Utah, according to one rumor.

The mayor of Provo has been building buzz for what he described on his blog as an "epic announcement" and "the single largest accomplishment" of his career. While building buzz with Provo's citizens on Twitter with the hashtag "#ProvoEpicAnnouncement", the blog ProvoBuzz.com gave six reasons why the reveal will be Google Fiber.

Chief among them are that Provo already has fiber-optic infrastructure, and that the infrastructure, which had been sold to to … Read more

Google users should once again be able to access their apps, files, and e-mail.

Following a service disruption earlier today that took down Google Drive, Google Apps, and Gmail, all three appear to be back in business. Google's Apps Status Dashboard page shows all three as accessible, with comments that the problems should be resolved.

Service disruptions also had affected Google Groups and the Google Admin Control Panel used by organizations to manage their Google Apps services. But the status page points to both of those as accessible once again.

The status page updates show that the disruptions were … Read more

Google Drive and Gmail both experienced service disruptions today.

As of about 6 a.m. PT, Google's Apps Status Dashboard was updated to say that Google was investigating reports of issues with both services and would provide more information shortly.

And things got worse from there. Some 10 to 15 minutes later, the dashboard also showed disruptions affecting Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Presentations.

The Google Apps Status Dashboard also reported a service outage this morning with the Admin control panel / API.

But even amid the complaints, by 6:30 a.m. PT, some users were saying they'… Read more