Small Business Tech

Google Expands Number of Cities With Street View

I have been using Google Maps extensively on my vacation. I use the standard version on the notebook computer when stationary, and I utilize the java version on my Smart Phone when I am on the go. It can be a life saver for finding restaurants and hotels. It can make you look like a hero to family members.

Google announced on Monday that they have expanded their Street View to five more cities including our home-base of Orlando. If you are unfamiliar with Street View, it is a street-level view of an area on the map. Visit maps.google.com, zoom into Orlando, then choose Street View by pushing a button along the top of the map. You can then click onto a blue route and a street view window will pop-up.

This will be an amazing tool as it is expanded to more and more cities. Google has not published a release schedule for other locales or how often the data will be updated.

Just a side-note about Internet coverage on the road. We did not find one single hotel that did not have wireless or hard wired Internet in the room. The Internet access on the Smart Phone was nearly always available, but it would come to an absolute crawl in very rural areas. I was literally measuring speeds twice as slow as dial-up in some spots. I was not unhappy about these results, because I was surprised that any coverage was even possible.

Labels: Google, Maps, Orlando, vacation

Time for Summer Vacation

Yes it is that time for the family summer vacation. These really stress me out, but we need to get away as a family. We did not take a summer vacation as a family last year, because of an illness and ultimately a death in the family.

The stress is whether anything will break while I am away, and will I have cell phone or Internet access to address the problem. I have been checking T-Mobile coverage maps, and it appears that I will be in coverage areas during weekdays. By the way, T-Mobile has the most usable and responsible coverage maps of any cellular carrier. If there is an problem feel free to file a support ticket or call me.

We were initially going to fly, but we opted for what I call "The Great American Road Trip." It is just a more fun and relaxed way to travel. You do not need to worry about TSA checkpoints, schedules, or crazy weather delays. I get to keep my shoes on.

We will be visiting Atlanta, Knoxville, Smokey Mountains, and maybe one more east coast city between August 1st and the 9th. Highlights of the trip include Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta), The Blue Plate Special (Knoxville), Sister-in-law's house, Dollywood (theme park), and all that Smokey Mountain tourist trap stuff.

Labels: cell phone, Cellular, family, T-Mobile, vacation