Google improves "Maps", its mapping service

A conference dedicated to Google Maps and nothing to this service. Program of the celebration, the 3D high definition, the storage of maps for use in offline line and Street View still and always further exploration.

Yesterday was held the Conference long-awaited Google involving its mapping service Google Maps. Broadcasted live on the Internet, the Mountain View giant has shown that its application now allows more than previously, with for main news, the 3D display at 45 ° in a fluid manner and the passage in offline mode of portions of map for the Globetrotters.

Before you begin to expose all these beautiful features, Brian McClendon, Vice President of Google mapping recalled that it was important for its division as its users do not hesitate to go back any error. Thus, the provision updates cards will be more specific to provide a better quality of navigation in the end. It also addressed the contextual search by location of the user in referring to the search for a place nearby, with for example a user typing Paris in the Google Maps search bar which is located in France will return to the capital and not to the American city.

I turn to the first announcement of the evening, the offline mode. It is not here actually a new feature because it was already available for the users of the service who have installed the module then in beta. But this time, Maps goes a bit further by giving the possibility of defining the level of detail that the card will contain to the end as all the shops of the selected map or just the streets with the names or the main axes of the city. Once the level of detail is selected, the application will be download only the strictly necessary to then store the portion on the mobile microSD card.

The second announcement is much more impressive because this time the recovery in three dimensions at 45 ° view of Google Earth is much more representative que cubic buildings que we had up to now. The demonstration video available just after appears fluid, but we wonder if this be as much on older models or even entry-level smartphones models still in mono core.

Finally, the firm of Mountain View has shown that its Street View service subject to controversy as to the protection of privacy continues its path snowman. After the cars with a camera on the roof, snowmobiles, bikes, the time is in the pedestrian equipped with a backpack with a beautiful ball full of cameras. The purpose here is to map hiking paths in the forest, in the mountains or other accessible locations to feet around the world.

The Conference is only dedicated to mapping of the giant of the research service, it however did not mention the date of the update of its flagship application, at least for the moment. Unless he keeps under the elbow for the next I/O Conference, held from 27 to 29 June during which he will also issue of the next version of the Android operating system.

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Windows 8 improves research

Small update on the progress of the development of Windows 8. Microsoft refers to this time research.

New post on Building Windows 8 and new analysis of the novelties presented by Microsoft. This time, still talking about a bit of the screen startup and start menu, but under the prism of the function of research of bone that had already been much improved (both in terms of relevance of timeliness) with Vista and 7. Brian Uphoff, responsible for user experience in the development of Windows 8, presents the progress in the matter.

The start menu search function will be the part on the Start Screen of the most important interface Metro of Windows 8, receiving at the time of a display surface. Metadata and ToolTips will complement each result obtained, history to give more indication of the indexed files made by the system for each request. Another novelty, the search field will be able to correct a motion, propose a different spelling or offer suggestions. History of the local search as simple as that proposed by the engines on the Internet.

 

Research programs

Using the Windows Feedback Program, Microsoft teams have noticed that in 67% of cases, the search function is simply used to start a program. Most of the users who took to reflex instead of using the working tree. Programs will therefore, in Windows 8, wanted by default, and this content by frequency of use. Then comes the search for files (22% of cases), accessible either by the shortcut "Windows + F", or via the side bar. A view with only the files that can be customized with various filters appeared as well. Another new "Windows + W" key combination to perform a search in the Control Panel, what quickly find the part of adjustment of a specific item (9% of cases).

Research in the settings and files

Research of e-mails via the interface of Windows search only about 0.5% of the queries users, given the integration of this function to various dedicated customers, Microsoft has logically decided does more deal. Email client developers can however take advantage of the Metro interface to add this feature to their tiles if they wish, and to propose an overview dedicated to these specific research.

Finally, and this is just as important, Microsoft announces that it takes care to optimize at best this search function, announcing that it will be 45 to 78% faster than in Windows 7 based on the configuration of the user (see the table below). Encouraging!

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Windows 8 improves the copy of files

Windows 8, Microsoft is addressing an interesting domain: copying files. Because if well points have changed since Windows 95, the management of the files and copy have not so much evolved. With Windows 8, Microsoft will make a difference.

To begin, a few figures: 50% of the copies take less than 10 seconds, which allows to determine that copies rarely exceed 400 or 500 MB (in for wide). 20% of copies in contrast take more than 2 minutes, is - with a recent computer - at least (for wide also) 5 GB of data. More interesting, about 6% of copies is not complete, either because of a disk error, a connection (network, USB, etc.) lost or simply because the user cancelled.

With Windows 8, will therefore toward better management of the copy, with such a unified window indicating the number of copies, advancement (in %), speed, etc. is more the time remaining is displayed, but the progression, simpler to implement, especially more talking to the user: time is a concept too dependent of the machine and what it does. It is also possible to put a copy in time and view information about the current copy.

More interesting, the management of duplicates appears very effective: currently, when the target folder contains files that have the same name in the source folder, Windows offers to replace, do not copy or rename the file and keep both versions. In Windows 8, Microsoft will offer a simpler and more intuitive system: it is sufficient to check the version to keep, with a prévisualiation system. In addition to deal with file by file, it is much more intuitive and simple for a person who is not used to manage a file system.

Finally, a part of redundant (and never read) message will be deleted: confirmations asking if there is really some want to put a file in the Recycle Bin for the third time should no longer be present.

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