Google Earth – incredible

Occasionally I come across some new technology that completely blows me away. Google Earth is definitely in that category. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is the technology that Google recently acquired from Keyhole. Go and download it now and take a look.

After downloading the client app, you can interactively browse and fly around the globe, zooming in and out as you please, browsing a seamless tapestry of satellite imagery and maps. Google has also overlaid search engine information so you can search for places, businesses, points of interest etc, and they are placed on the satellite images with a map pin.

To add another dimension, there is a community of users who have found interesting places and landmarks etc, and have submitted their own map pins which you can selectively enable. You can browse their submissions in the online forum, and then clicking on the link in the forum automatically takes you into Google Earth and zooms into the chosen location.

Very impressive. For any company that deals with geographical data, this surely is a killer app (and commercial subscriptions for enabling more information and features are available). For everyone else, there is a free version, and you browse the world from your desk 🙂

Wireless 3G services finally reach their potential?

Sprint has recently annouced rollout of their ‘EV-DO’ 3G service with data speeds averaging 400-700kbps and peak speeds of 2Mbps.

So what was the 3G service advertised about 3 years ago when I eagerly raced out to buy one of the new phones for 250 bucks? I think Sprint (and others) jumped the gun somewhat, as that service (later known as 2.5G) only reached averages of around 120kbps.

Nice to know though that wireless broadband is finally a reality.

Microsoft on Linux: “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’?

Microsoft have recently changed their strategic oulook on the use of Linux and Open Source software, and rather than attempting to face the juggernaut head-on, they are now attempting work with and complement Linux and Open Source technologies.

So have Microsoft admitted defeat? Five years ago, Steve Balmer publically called Linux and Open Source a ‘cancer’ on commercial software development. At that time Microsoft was running scared and was attempting to sell their products with disinformation about the total cost of ownership of Linux solutions, but now it appears they can’t run fast enough, and rather than keep running, they have chosen to change their direction and not compete with Open Source, but to build their products to complement it.

Microsoft Operations Manager now has support for Linux based platforms, and Microsoft’s virtual machine software which they recently acquired will also have the ability to host Linux installations alongside Windows.