Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen - Google Earth is Shiny, but so is Amazon Streets

« Mod your Prius to get 180 MPG | Main | Integrating Ruby and Watir with NUnit »

Google Earth is Shiny, but so is Amazon Streets

Posted 2005-06-28 10:20 PM in Javascript.

Sure, Google Earth is cool. I paid them their $20 and the new 15m imagery is slick. I can see how a savvy real estate agent would dig it.

But have you seen Amazon Yellow Pages? Google is driving all over the country using lasers to figure out how to make 3D images of buildings (not sure why that's useful) but Amazon is driving around taking pictures out of the windows of a GPS-enabled Red Truck. No 3D, nothing fancy, just JavaScript and a LOT of pictures.

Here's Amazon's view of the Benson Hotel in Portland. Make sure you click on the "Walk up and Down the Street" buttons. Weird eh? They even have a "click to call" link where they will broker a call to you, because dialing the phone yourself would just be too hard.

There be some interesting stuff going on. Next step, Virtual Earth.

Now playing: Kanye West - Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Edited)

Tracked by:
"Linked In's Success - Spreading the Word" (Tim Haines) [Trackback]
"[Trackback] Google Earth 實在不錯!" (Rexiology...) [Trackback]
"[Trackback] Google Earth 實在不錯!" (Rexiology...) [Trackback]
http://localhost:83/CS2RC1/blogs/keyvan/archive/2005/06/29/3030.aspx [Pingback]
http://localhost:83/CS2RC1/blogs/keyvan/archive/2005/06/29/3154.aspx [Pingback]
http://localhost:83/CS2RC1/blogs/keyvan/archive/2005/06/29/3204.aspx [Pingback]
http://localhost/CS2/blogs/keyvan/archive/2005/06/29/14.aspx [Pingback]
http://localhost/CS2/blogs/keyvan/archive/2005/06/28/64.aspx [Pingback]
"Google earth" (Keyvan Nayyeri) [Trackback]
http://nayyeri.net/archive/2005/06/29/6.aspx [Pingback]
"Google earth" (Keyvan Nayyeri) [Trackback]

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 9:37:53 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

In Tokyo(apparently/according to my coworker) they give you maps that show the profiles of buildings so you can navigate.
something to do with the numbers or companies changing too much but the skyline not so much.

maybe thats googles idea of a 3d view of a city - better perspective of where you're going.

Amazons version is WAY cool though. when they took the pictures of our office not many of us were there! I can make out one coworkers car, but not mine!

Ian

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:53:56 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

The difference is amazon's interface is horrible. They have unrelated crap cluttering up the screen, something google is very careful about. I was immediately turned off by amazon's example.

indy

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:15:49 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

+1. Google maps is an execellent example of good ui.
they just need to 'borrow' amazons photos for a drive-by view of a trip.
I'm hoping we'll see some consolidation here, I don't need to be using google for the map and amazon to see what I'll be looking at when I get there.

Ian

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 7:05:13 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

"Click to Call" is not to make it easier. It's so amazon can get paid.

Peter Kellner

Thursday, June 30, 2005 12:03:44 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)

Now, if you could just transpose those images into a good game like Asheron's Call 2 or even Quake...think of the fun!! Virtual Reality has a completely new spin.