Google Maps adding 3D, offline directions
Airtime video chat launches to mixed feelings, LinkedIn confirms passwords were hacked, and Google reveals the next direction for Maps.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
In today's show we're changing our passwords, talking to strangers and pretending we can fly:
Google Maps are going 3D. Google announced new features it's building into maps, and it gives the perspective of what you might see if you could fly between buildings. Multiple photos are taken by airplanes, and then it's automatically stitched together to look like a 3D model. The demo was of San Francisco, but no word on which other cities will be the first to get this feature. It is expected to cover 300 million people by the end of the year.
But that's not all. Google Maps and directions will be accessible without an Internet connection. Mobile users will be able to save an area on the map to view offline later. The feature will first be rolled out to Android devices.
The ball is now in Apple's court for maps. We'll have to see what Apple has in store at its Developer's Conference next week.
The co-founders of Napster have launched a new video chat service called Airtime. It's still uncertain if people will care to even use this, but here's how it works: Using a Facebook connection, video chat with a friend and share videos (can be from Facebook or YouTube). You can also ask the system to find you a random stranger to talk to with similar interests. (Kinda strange.) Maybe if it rolls out some more new tools, people might see this as something worth using over Skype or Google Hangouts.
The HBO Go app is now available for Kindle Fire users. But just like every HBO app, it requires you to prove you pay for HBO through a cable provider. One group is hoping to change that with the site TakeMyMoneyHBO.com.
LinkedIn has confirmed that hackers have compromised millions of user's passwords. If your password was compromised, you will be prompted to create a new password the next time you visit the site. LinkedIn is also emailing users who may be affected. Be sure to create a strong password that's hard to crack. (Read tips here for creating a strong password.)
LinkedIn is also defending its mobile app, which can send your calendar info to LinkedIn's servers. This is an opt-in feature, and it's designed so the app can help you research the people you will be meeting with. But some security researchers saw that it wasn't just pulling in dates and people; it was also sending anything written in the notes, which could be sensitive. LinkedIn said the info was never stored on its servers, was always transmitted securely, and it will update the app to not gather any notes in a calendar event.
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