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Thursday, January 8, 2009
One of my more interesting meetings at Macworld was the one at the Google booth. I had a good chat about the Google App and it’s difficulty with translated voice properly to text. The hint given was to wait a second or two after the beep on your iPhone so the application can get a signature of the white noise and clean that out of your command. Seems to help get more accurate results. Nice.
Now that tip was a great one and I searched for another like revelation and asked, “Why do I need Google Earth on my desktop when I can do everything it does in my web browser that requires less resources?” The first Google employee didn’t have a good answer and led me to another co-worker who was “better at Google Earth”. He, too, really couldn’t give a good answer and searched out yet another “better” suited Google employee. Would third time be the charm?
My Google Earth pro proceeded to show me the 3-D modeling of San Francisco and then of the GooglePlex, Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, and talked about the cool factor of all the 3-D. I stopped her and said, “Ya, I get the eye candy stuff, but what about practical needs?” I gave her an example. “Let’s say I have a crew of people I need to send to various locations in the Bay Area. I want to nest this into a folder called ‘Project 1′. I would like to create maps from point to point of these locations or even from a new location.” The Google Earth “pro” responded, “I don’t know how to do that in Google Earth but can show you how on Google Maps.” I assured her that I knew the procedure and re-iterated my original question. Why do I need Google Earth, then? Her answer? “I don’t know.”
So folks, from the mouths of Google, you really don’t need Google Earth and its heavy appetite for your system resources other than just to “goof off”. Google Earth really doesn’t perform any other useful function than its sister, Google Maps, can do at a whole lot less resource wise on your Mac or PC. But, it is up to you. If you like waste, then go for it. Me? I’m a practical guy and have already deleted Google Earth from my Mac.
January 8th, 2009 at 19:30
Obviously you haven’t use google earth with a gps
• or used kml extensively
• try synchronizing paths on your gps unit
etc.
January 8th, 2009 at 22:30
Before I booked a resort in Puerto Rico’s West coast, I used Google Earth to research the hotel and environs, what kind of neighborhood, and was there really 2 miles of beach.
I used the elevations and when I arrived I recognized the surroundings having never been there.
I also used it to get a before picture of a house destroyed by a plane for a news story.
I’m sure if you really thought about it you could probably come up with at least one practical application. That’s the kind of tool it is. It is your job to find a new use for it.
Even if it is a hog, it works on my iPhone as well.
January 9th, 2009 at 0:20
Didn’t I read the terrorists used it to plan their rampage through Mumbai? Also to see if the seaside hotel has a highway between your window and the beach. Or to plan a heist getaway route
January 9th, 2009 at 0:33
Depends on your definition of practical, I suppose, but Google Earth is great for giving presentations, where the animated flythroughs as you move from location to location really give a much better visual idea of distances and locations than a simple series of maps would.
January 9th, 2009 at 0:39
They don’t know. Isn’t this because these are PR people, who’ve been employed because they have a friendly manner when chatting to people and not for technical expertise? It doesn’t sound like you were talking to the software engineers.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:38
I’ve been wondering why you need Google Earth, too. Everybody installs it on their desktop machines and now even on their iPhones, but when I ask why they do it, they say it’s cool, and when asked what they need it for, the answer always is: nothing. Google Maps is invaluable, but Google Earth? On the iPhone??
January 9th, 2009 at 4:44
Wow, The mighty Sven bamboozled a guy at a trade show. Amazing!!!
Ya I think it is pretty easy to come armed with some questions to do this at any trade show. Having worked a few in the past I’ve met people like you. You demo a product but they use the competing product and are really only interested in justifying the purchase of the one they own and that is why they are sitting in your demo. They usually have about 3 bullet points they can use to pull out of the sale irrespective of what the merits of your product is.
So, you can’t think of a reason to use Google Earth. Neither can the demo guy. Well move on and use the web app instead. Or did you want your money back?
January 9th, 2009 at 10:34
RattyUK, I don’t get your point. If you missed it, Google Maps and Google Earth are made by the same company. Why would I want to “justify” the competing product when it’s the same company? Dude, that doesn’t make sense. I think you’ve been to too many trade show after parties.
Nick, yes, many times there are PR folk in the booths, but with all my meetings with dozens of vendors there, everyone, save one or two people, were actual employees. Granted, not all were engineers, but employees just the same. As for the Google booth, all three were employees (I asked).
Kalani, I could see Google Earth as a great presentation resource, but again, is that practical or just eye candy?
Jimfg, the terrorists could have used Google maps for the same research.
Netcl1, as for the GPS integration, I don’t think the Mac version supports that. I’ll have to look into. Now THAT, could be practical.
January 9th, 2009 at 10:48
I’m not sure I follow your question, since you seem to answer it in the same sentence. If you see that it as a “great presentation resource”, isn’t that pretty much by definition practical?
Also, for a presentation, I am of the opinion that eye candy IS practical, because as long as it conveys the needed information (it did, in the cases where I’ve used it) AND looks impressive at the same time (it does), your presentation comes off all the better.
I fully concur with you that it’s useless for the purpose you outlined in your question to the Google techs, and possibly MOSTLY an eye candy product, but it’s (a) very useful in certain instances (such as presentations, as we agreed), and (b) quite a lot of fun. So I hope they keep supporting it and don’t drop it, unless they somehow merge the capabilities into the web product. (Including the offline usage Google Earth offers, which is also critical for presentations when the internet is not available, such as at a restaurant.) It’s all about the right tool for the right job… don’t use it when the web version will do better, but when you need (or want) the flash and eye candy, then Google Earth is the way to go.
January 9th, 2009 at 10:51
Kalani, I guess you’re right, if it is useful for presentations, then that is a practical use. I guess I’m centered more on function than presentation.
Google needs to hire you for its booth.