The FBI's Most Wanted on Google Maps

The FBI has created a Google Map of criminals that are wanted for bank robbery. I'm tempted to say that the biggest criminals here are the designers of this FBI map - but then I would never criticise map developers, who are after all my bread and butter.

The FBI - Bank Robbers Nationwide Map shows the location of bank robberies and allows users to view photos and physical descriptions of those wanted for the crimes. Users can search the map by 'name' (God knows what that means. Whose name are you meant to enter - the criminals??), by 'city' or by 'state'.

My major problem with this map is it is just plain ugly. I'd have liked to have seen just a little time and effort spent on the design of the map, including creating more attractive map markers and information windows. However, from browsing the map, it is is obvious that the FBI have more pressing concerns, such as employing some half decent criminal sketch artists. The biggest criminal on evidence in this map must be the sketch artist employed to create the portrait in the picture above.

Read More

YouTube in Rewind: What India was watching in 2012

It’s that time of year again to pause, rewind and remember the videos, the entertainers, and the moments that captivated you in 2012.

 This year, Korean Pop music transcended boundaries and took the world by storm. But back home, YouTube viewers went mainstream in their choice of content, with Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Brown Rang song emerging as the most trending video of the year in India in 2012. Bollywood continued to rule the charts, with most watched songs and movie trailers on YouTube.

2012 has been a big year for YouTube globally and in India. Globally, users saw over 4 billion hours of video a month. Millions of creators world over are using YouTube channels to experiment with innovative forms of entertainment, explore their passions and interests, take creativity and pop culture to new levels. And we’re beginning to see amateurs filmmakers and video enthusiasts exploring their talent on YouTube in India.

2012’s top trending videos and the most subscribed channels from India, shows that YouTube has truly gone mainstream in India with million of users watching songs, their favorite TV shows and subscribing to their favorite channels. Language content is also picking up and has made its way to the top most subscribed channels.

Top trending videos in India for 2012: (Playlist)

 Brown Rang Full Song HD- International Villager Yo Yo Honey Singh

PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V

Mashallah - Song - Ek Tha Tiger - Salman Khan & Katrina Kaif

HIGH HEELS OFFICIAL VIDEO - JAZ DHAMI FT YO YO HONEY SINGH

Tumhi Ho Bandhu - Song Promo - Cocktail [Exclusive]

Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Trailer - Film releasing November 13

Jism 2 Yeh Jism Song | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, Randeep Hooda |

Saans - Song - Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Daaru Desi - Song Promo - Cocktail (Exclusive)

Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita - Rowdy Rathore Official Full Song Video Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Mika

In addition to the top trending videos, we have also compiled the list of most subscribed channels, most watched songs, TV Shows & Movie Trailers.

Most subscribed channels in India (2012):

TSeries

SetIndia

Yrf

Erosentertainment

Rajshri

Teluguone

SonymusicindiaSME

Mtvroadies

Olympic

Maatv

Most watched songs 2012:

Brown Rang Full Song HD- International Villager Yo Yo Honey Singh

PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V

Mashallah - Song - Ek Tha Tiger - Salman Khan & Katrina Kaif

HIGH HEELS OFFICIAL VIDEO - JAZ DHAMI FT YO YO HONEY SINGH

Jism 2 Yeh Jism Song | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, Randeep Hooda | Exclusive

Saans - Song - Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita - Rowdy Rathore Official Full Song Video Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Mika

"Abhi Abhi Jism 2" Official Song  | Sunny Leone, Arunnoday Singh, Randeep Hooda

Ishq Wala Love - Student Of The Year - The Official Song | HQ

Challa - Song - Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Most watched TV Shows 2012:

Bade Acche Lagte Hai

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

Kahani Comedy Circus Ki

Crime Patrol

Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev

CID

Movie Night

Totally Sketch Originals

Adaalat

FIR

Most watched movie trailers 2012:

Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Trailer - Film releasing November 13

EK THA TIGER - Teaser Trailer - Salman Khan - Releasing 15th August 2012

Heroine - Official Trailer - Kareena Kapoor | Arjun Rampal | Randeep Hooda

Cocktail - Theatrical Trailer (Exclusive)

Talaash Theatrical Trailer - Official - Starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji

Khiladi 786 - Official Teaser Trailer [Exclusive]

Son Of Sardaar | Official Theatrical Trailer

Rowdy Rathore | Official Trailer | Akshay Kumar - Sonakshi Sinha

Hate Story Uncensored Theatrical Trailer (Official) 2012

Raaz 3 Official Trailer

That’s it for now, stay tuned for more exciting videos in 2013.

Read More

Navigation and traffic data come to Google Maps in India

More than a billion people rely on Google Maps every month to get the most accurate and reliable directions from point A to point B. We on the Google Maps team, however, know that simply calculating a route is just the beginning when it comes to helping people find their way across town or across the continent. That’s why we have worked to improve the comprehensiveness and usefulness of Google Maps through advanced features like voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation and live traffic updates.

We’re excited today to announce that both of these features are now available for Google Maps users in India — one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing markets for online map services worldwide. Google Maps Navigation (Beta) is free and accessible to any smartphone user running Android 2.2 or later, and live traffic information is visible on both the mobile and desktop versions of Google Maps.

Google Maps Navigation takes advantage of your mobile Internet connection and Google’s comprehensive map data to help you plan your journeys with confidence. In India, you’ll have access to information about any of the thousands of cities, towns, roads, and points of interest that have been mapped by users in Google Map Maker. In other words, whether you’re heading to the Bengaluru airport for a business trip or visiting Agra’s world-famous Taj Mahal for a weekend of sightseeing with friends, Google Maps Navigation has you covered. Your phone will announce upcoming directions to you as you move along your route — and it will even use a friendly and familiar Indian accent if you’ve selected the Indian English locale on in your phone settings.

Of course, Google Maps Navigation is also incredibly easy to use. There is no separate app — it’s already available directly in the Android app launcher and in the Google Maps interface for users who have Google Maps for Mobile installed on their Android smartphone. (Just keep an eye out for the blue arrow, which will always point you toward navigation.) Also Google Maps Navigation takes advantage of Google’s unparalleled search expertise to find the places you care about. You can type (or even speak) the name or address of your favorite destination into the app and trust that Google will correct your spelling and get you the right result. Finally, since your Android smartphone always has access to Google’s most up-to-date map data, there’s never a need for you to work through a cumbersome manual upgrade process.

To complement the launch of Google Maps Navigation in India, Google Maps will also begin to offer live traffic information for major roads in six large Indian cities and their surrounding suburbs: Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. As in other countries, Google’s traffic data is shown in a simple and readable color scheme — red for significant congestion, yellow for minor slow-downs, and green for free-flowing traffic — to help you analyze the traffic on your route with just a quick glance. You can view live traffic by enabling the traffic layer onmaps.google.co.in or in the Google Maps app on your smartphone, or simply by visiting google.co.in and entering a query like ‘traffic in hyderabad’. (If you’re using maps.google.co.in in a desktop browser, Google Maps even allows you to check “typical” traffic conditions for a particular day and time, based on our wealth of historical data.) Finally, in places where traffic data is available, Google Maps Navigation will take congestion into account to ensure that you’re always given the directions most appropriate to current conditions.

We hope that the many Google Maps users in India will enjoy these new ways to take advantage of Google’s extensive map data. The next time you’re on the subcontinent, just check the traffic, tap the blue arrow, and drive safely!

Note: While the Google Maps app itself is a free download from Google Play and Google doesn’t charge users for access to Navigation, the Google Maps app does require an Internet connection and users are responsible for any mobile data charges they incur while using the app.

Posted by Darren Baker, Product Manager, Google Maps and Suren Ruhela, Senior Program Manager, Google Maps

Read More