Bits Blog: Major Redesign of Google Maps Is Unveiled

Google is introducing more personalized maps that will recommend places to go based on their preferences and those of people with similar tastes.

Google is taking on a new challenge in mapping — creating real-time, personalized maps for everyone on the planet.

At its annual I/O developers conference on Wednesday, Google announced a new Google Maps, rebuilt from the ground up, by far the biggest redesign since it introduced Maps eight years ago.

When users who are logged in to Google visit Maps, they will see highlighted the places they frequently visit, like restaurants, museums and their home and office. Google learns the places they go by drawing information from all of Google’s services — including search and Maps history, Google Plus posts and information in their Gmail in-box. (A search on the new Maps revealed, for instance, that Larry Page, Google’s chief executive, likes State Bird Provisions, a restaurant in San Francisco.)

When users visit a new city, Google will recommend places to go based on their preferences and those of people with similar tastes.

The maps will change in real-time, so if you click on a museum, the other museums in the city will pop up. Choose a museum, and the map will shift so that the small roads and landmarks needed to navigate to that museum appear, and other street names fade away.

“Everybody gets their own map, every time,” said Jonah Jones, the lead designer for the new Google Maps, in an interview before the conference.

The new Google Maps looks different in other ways. The maps now fill more of the screen, including space on the top and sides. If you search for cafes nearby, for instance, results are labeled on the map (they are not in the old version) and cards with relevant information appear on the map. These can include ads, which are labeled in purple, and offers like a coupon for a local business.

Google Earth, which shows satellite 3-D imagery, was previously available only as an app to download. Now, it will be incorporated in the online version of Google Maps, so users can zoom in and explore a city’s landmarks in 3-D. They can zoom out and see the planet, with real-time weather, and the Milky Way.

While Google engineers were testing the maps in recent weeks, they noticed a black smudge on the Earth and the sun. At first, they thought it was a problem with the map, but then discovered that they were seeing an eclipse on the other side of the world, off Australia, in real time.

Google can do this because of a technology called WebGL that renders graphics inside a browser, as opposed to downloading images from a server, a process that takes longer and does not allow graphics to be as complex.

People can also view users’ photos from various places and see inside hundreds of thousands of local businesses. And the new Maps has improved public transit directions, including a schedule of departure times, a comparison with driving times and personalized directions from a user’s home.

Google plans to slowly introduce the new Maps to users, starting with conference attendees and then people who sign up online. It is only for desktop computers to start, but Google will also be updating its iPhone and Android Maps apps soon.

Major Banks Aid in Payday Loans Banned by States

With 15 states banning payday loans, a growing number of the lenders have set up online operations in more hospitable states or far-flung locales like Belize, Malta and the West Indies to more easily evade statewide caps on interest rates.

While the banks, which include giants like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, do not make the loans, they are a critical link for the lenders, enabling the lenders to withdraw payments automatically from borrowers’ bank accounts, even in states where the loans are banned entirely. In some cases, the banks allow lenders to tap checking accounts even after the customers have begged them to stop the withdrawals.

“Without the assistance of the banks in processing and sending electronic funds, these lenders simply couldn’t operate,” said Josh Zinner, co-director of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, which works with community groups in New York.

The banking industry says it is simply serving customers who have authorized the lenders to withdraw money from their accounts. “The industry is not in a position to monitor customer accounts to see where their payments are going,” said Virginia O’Neill, senior counsel with the American Bankers Association.

But state and federal officials are taking aim at the banks’ role at a time when authorities are increasing their efforts to clamp down on payday lending and its practice of providing quick money to borrowers who need cash.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are examining banks’ roles in the online loans, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter. Benjamin M. Lawsky, who heads New York State’s Department of Financial Services, is investigating how banks enable the online lenders to skirt New York law and make loans to residents of the state, where interest rates are capped at 25 percent.

For the banks, it can be a lucrative partnership. At first blush, processing automatic withdrawals hardly seems like a source of profit. But many customers are already on shaky financial footing. The withdrawals often set off a cascade of fees from problems like overdrafts. Roughly 27 percent of payday loan borrowers say that the loans caused them to overdraw their accounts, according to a report released this month by the Pew Charitable Trusts. That fee income is coveted, given that financial regulations limiting fees on debit and credit cards have cost banks billions of dollars.

Some state and federal authorities say the banks’ role in enabling the lenders has frustrated government efforts to shield people from predatory loans — an issue that gained urgency after reckless mortgage lending helped precipitate the 2008 financial crisis.

Lawmakers, led by Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, introduced a bill in July aimed at reining in the lenders, in part, by forcing them to abide by the laws of the state where the borrower lives, rather than where the lender is. The legislation, pending in Congress, would also allow borrowers to cancel automatic withdrawals more easily. “Technology has taken a lot of these scams online, and it’s time to crack down,” Mr. Merkley said in a statement when the bill was introduced.

While the loans are simple to obtain — some online lenders promise approval in minutes with no credit check — they are tough to get rid of. Customers who want to repay their loan in full typically must contact the online lender at least three days before the next withdrawal. Otherwise, the lender automatically renews the loans at least monthly and withdraws only the interest owed. Under federal law, customers are allowed to stop authorized withdrawals from their account. Still, some borrowers say their banks do not heed requests to stop the loans.

Ivy Brodsky, 37, thought she had figured out a way to stop six payday lenders from taking money from her account when she visited her Chase branch in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn in March to close it. But Chase kept the account open and between April and May, the six Internet lenders tried to withdraw money from Ms. Brodsky’s account 55 times, according to bank records reviewed by The New York Times. Chase charged her $1,523 in fees — a combination of 44 insufficient fund fees, extended overdraft fees and service fees.

For Subrina Baptiste, 33, an educational assistant in Brooklyn, the overdraft fees levied by Chase cannibalized her child support income. She said she applied for a $400 loan from Loanshoponline.com and a $700 loan from Advancemetoday.com in 2011. The loans, with annual interest rates of 730 percent and 584 percent respectively, skirt New York law.

Ms. Baptiste said she asked Chase to revoke the automatic withdrawals in October 2011, but was told that she had to ask the lenders instead. In one month, her bank records show, the lenders tried to take money from her account at least six times. Chase charged her $812 in fees and deducted over $600 from her child-support payments to cover them.

“I don’t understand why my own bank just wouldn’t listen to me,” Ms. Baptiste said, adding that Chase ultimately closed her account last January, three months after she asked.

A spokeswoman for Bank of America said the bank always honored requests to stop automatic withdrawals. Wells Fargo declined to comment. Kristin Lemkau, a spokeswoman for Chase, said: “We are working with the customers to resolve these cases.” Online lenders say they work to abide by state laws.

Alcatel-Lucent Names Chief to Lead a Major Downsizing

BERLIN — Alcatel-Lucent, the struggling French telecommunications equipment maker, on Friday hired a former Vodafone and France Télécom executive, Michel Combes, to lead the company through what might be a major downsizing.

Mr. Combes, 51, will take over for Ben Verwaayen, who had failed in four years to bring the equipment maker, created by the 2006 merger of Alcatel of France and Lucent Technologies of New Jersey, to sustained profit.

Mr. Combes left Vodafone last summer after agreeing to take over as chief executive of SFR, a French mobile operator owned by Vivendi. But he withdrew from the job after the sudden departure of Jean-Bernard Lévy as Vivendi’s chief executive.

In brief remarks to senior executives this morning in Paris, Mr. Combes said he planned to conduct a “listening tour” of employees, shareholders and other stakeholders before formulating a strategy for Alcatel-Lucent, which lost 1.4 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in 2012.

The company is in the midst of cutting 7 percent of its global work force, 5,500 of 76,000 jobs, by the end of this year.

In a statement, Mr. Combes said he would work to return Alcatel-Lucent to lasting profitability, something that has eluded it since the trans-Atlantic merger.

“This is a company I know well,” he said in a statement, “and I look forward to succeeding Ben, working with the key international customers and driving the business into sustained profitability for its customers, employees and shareholders.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s shares fell 1.8 percent, to 1.12 euros, in Paris trading after the announcement. Alexander Peterc, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London, said investors had hoped for an executive with more of a track record as a cost-cutter. He said that Mr. Combes should quickly identify which businesses were for sale.

The company has indicated that its optical submarine cable business and its enterprise business of selling equipment to large companies and organizations are on the block, Mr. Peterc said.

“Alcatel-Lucent is in a crisis situation, and even just identifying which businesses it intends to sell would be a step forward that could save thousands of jobs,” Mr. Peterc said. “They have tried for six years since the merger and have spent 4 billion euros on restructuring to turn this company around, and it hasn’t worked yet.”

Mr. Verwaayen, the former chief of the British telecom operator BT, integrated the Alcatel and Lucent product lines and organizations under a unified brand. When he announced on Feb. 7 that he would step down, he said in a call with analysts that the company was reviewing its entire business portfolio with an eye to possible asset sales.

In December, the company secured 1.62 billion euros in emergency financing from Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs to buy more time. As a condition of the loans, the company pledged a percentage of revenue derived from future asset sales.

Martin Nilsson, an analyst at Handelsbanken in Stockholm, said Mr. Combes would most likely be forced to take major steps to expedite the resizing of Alcatel-Lucent, including selling some businesses. Only 12 percent of the company’s work force, roughly 9,000 people, is in France. The rest are spread around the world, mostly in the United States, China, India, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea.

“I think irrespective of the C.E.O. they had chosen, this is the main challenge for Alcatel-Lucent at this time,” Mr. Nilsson said. “It has been seemingly very difficult for this company to reach sustained profitability.”

In another potential signal that Alcatel-Lucent may be entering a phase of greater reorganization, the company announced that it had appointed Jean C. Monty, the former president and chief executive of Nortel Networks and Bell Canada, vice chairman of the board, a new position.

Philippe Camus, the Alcatel-Lucent chairman, said in a statement that Mr. Monty would be working closely with Mr. Combes to sort out the company’s future.

“We are fortunate to have such an experienced colleague to support Michel Combes in his new role,” Mr. Camus said. “I’m looking forward to working more closely with Jean, and I’m convinced Alcatel-Lucent will benefit from his incredible knowledge of our business.”

Mr. Nilsson said that Alcatel-Lucent’s turnaround would not be easy. Selling money-losing businesses and cutting research and development spending to increase profit will decrease Alcatel-Lucent’s base of sales and could limit its future growth potential by slowing the development of new products.

“It is very easy for tech companies to get into a downward spiral,” Mr. Nilsson said.

Alcatel-Lucent has declined to say which businesses it might sell. In 2012, sales fell more than 20 percent in its optical networking business and 17 percent in wireless networking. It blamed the lower sales on the rapid transition by United States operators to faster network gear based on Long Term Evolution technology, which reduced demand for Alcatel-Lucent’s second- and third-generation products.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: February 22, 2013

An earlier version of this article misspelled, in one reference, the last name of the departing Alcatel-Lucent chief executive. He is Ben Verwaayen, not Verwaaven. It also misspelled the given name of an Exane BNP Paribas analyst. He is Alexander Peterc, not Aleksander. Additionally, an earlier summary for the article misstated the size of Alcatel-Lucent’s loss in 2012. It was 1.4 billion euros, not 1.4 euros.

Windows, Staple of Most PCs, Gets a Major Makeover

But last week, when he got his hands on a laptop running the newest version of Windows for the first time, Mr. McCarthy was flummoxed.

Many of the familiar signposts from PCs of yore are gone in Microsoft’s new software, Windows 8, like the Start button for getting to programs and the drop-down menus that list their functions.

It took Mr. McCarthy several minutes just to figure out how to compose an e-mail message in Windows 8, which has a stripped-down look and on-screen buttons that at times resemble the runic assembly instructions for Ikea furniture.

“It made me feel like the biggest amateur computer user ever,” said Mr. McCarthy, 59, a copywriter in New York.

Windows, which has more than a billion users around the world, is getting a radical makeover, a rare move for a product with such vast reach. The new design is likely to cause some head-scratching for those who buy the latest machines when Windows 8 goes on sale this Friday.

To Microsoft and early fans of Windows 8, the software is a fresh, bold reinvention of the operating system for an era of touch-screen devices like the iPad, which are reshaping computing. Microsoft needs the software to succeed so it can restore some of its fading relevance after years of watching the likes of Apple and Google outflank it in the mobile market.

To its detractors, though, Windows 8 is a renovation gone wrong, one that will needlessly force people to relearn how they use a device every bit as common as a microwave oven.

“I don’t think any user was asking for that,” said John Ludwig, a former Microsoft executive who worked on Windows and is now a venture capitalist in the Seattle area. “They just want the current user interface, but better.”

Mr. Ludwig said Microsoft’s strategy was risky, but it had to do something to improve its chances in the mobile business: “Doing nothing was a strategy that was sure to fail.”

Little about the new Windows will look familiar to those who have used older versions. The Start screen, a kind of main menu, is dominated by a colorful grid of rectangles and squares that users can tap with a finger or click with a mouse to start applications. Many of these so-called live tiles constantly flicker with new information piped in from the Internet, like news headlines and Facebook photos.

What is harder to find are many of the conventions that have been a part of PCs since most people began using them, like the strip of icons at the bottom of the screen for jumping between applications. The mail and calendar programs are starkly minimalist. It is as if an automaker hid the speedometer, turn signals and gear shift in its cars, and told drivers to tap their dashboards to reveal those functions. There is a more conventional “desktop” mode for running Microsoft Office and older programs, though there is no way to permanently switch to it.

Microsoft knew in the summer of 2009 that it wanted to shake up Windows. It held focus groups and showed people prototypes of the tile interface and its live updates.

“We would get this delightful reaction of people who would say, ‘This is so great, and it has Office too,’ ” said Jensen Harris, Microsoft’s director of program management for the Windows user experience.

Sixteen million people have been using early versions of the software. The boldness of the changes has delighted some users, who say they believe that for the first time, the company is taking greater creative risks than its more celebrated rival, Apple.

“I think it’s functional, clean,” said Andries van Dam, a pioneer in computer graphics and a Brown University computer science professor, who receives research money from Microsoft. “I welcome it.”

Younger users may be more likely to embrace the new approach. Joanna Lin, 23, who works in sales and marketing for a hotel chain in New York, said she was impressed with the software. “The feeling was very fluid,” said Ms. Lin, who was the most enthusiastic of five people that The New York Times asked to briefly try Windows 8 last week. “Definitely a step up from Windows 7.”

But the product is a major gamble for Microsoft, a company whose clout in the technology industry has been waning. The PC business, which generates much of Microsoft’s revenue, is in a severe slump as newer products like smartphones and tablets take more dollars from peoples’ wallets.

Windows, Staple of Most PCs, Gets a Major Makeover

But last week, when he got his hands on a laptop running the newest version of Windows for the first time, Mr. McCarthy was flummoxed.

Many of the familiar signposts from PCs of yore are gone in Microsoft’s new software, Windows 8, like the Start button for getting to programs and the drop-down menus that list their functions.

It took Mr. McCarthy several minutes just to figure out how to compose an e-mail message in Windows 8, which has a stripped-down look and on-screen buttons that at times resemble the runic assembly instructions for Ikea furniture.

“It made me feel like the biggest amateur computer user ever,” said Mr. McCarthy, 59, a copywriter in New York.

Windows, which has more than a billion users around the world, is getting a radical makeover, a rare move for a product with such vast reach. The new design is likely to cause some head-scratching for those who buy the latest machines when Windows 8 goes on sale this Friday.

To Microsoft and early fans of Windows 8, the software is a fresh, bold reinvention of the operating system for an era of touch-screen devices like the iPad, which are reshaping computing. Microsoft needs the software to succeed so it can restore some of its fading relevance after years of watching the likes of Apple and Google outflank it in the mobile market.

To its detractors, though, Windows 8 is a renovation gone wrong, one that will needlessly force people to relearn how they use a device every bit as common as a microwave oven.

“I don’t think any user was asking for that,” said John Ludwig, a former Microsoft executive who worked on Windows and is now a venture capitalist in the Seattle area. “They just want the current user interface, but better.”

Mr. Ludwig said Microsoft’s strategy was risky, but it had to do something to improve its chances in the mobile business: “Doing nothing was a strategy that was sure to fail.”

Little about the new Windows will look familiar to those who have used older versions. The Start screen, a kind of main menu, is dominated by a colorful grid of rectangles and squares that users can tap with a finger or click with a mouse to start applications. Many of these so-called live tiles constantly flicker with new information piped in from the Internet, like news headlines and Facebook photos.

What is harder to find are many of the conventions that have been a part of PCs since most people began using them, like the strip of icons at the bottom of the screen for jumping between applications. The mail and calendar programs are starkly minimalist. It is as if an automaker hid the speedometer, turn signals and gear shift in its cars, and told drivers to tap their dashboards to reveal those functions. There is a more conventional “desktop” mode for running Microsoft Office and older programs, though there is no way to permanently switch to it.

Microsoft knew in the summer of 2009 that it wanted to shake up Windows. It held focus groups and showed people prototypes of the tile interface and its live updates.

“We would get this delightful reaction of people who would say, ‘This is so great, and it has Office too,’ ” said Jensen Harris, Microsoft’s director of program management for the Windows user experience.

Sixteen million people have been using early versions of the software. The boldness of the changes has delighted some users, who say they believe that for the first time, the company is taking greater creative risks than its more celebrated rival, Apple.

“I think it’s functional, clean,” said Andries van Dam, a pioneer in computer graphics and a Brown University computer science professor, who receives research money from Microsoft. “I welcome it.”

Younger users may be more likely to embrace the new approach. Joanna Lin, 23, who works in sales and marketing for a hotel chain in New York, said she was impressed with the software. “The feeling was very fluid,” said Ms. Lin, who was the most enthusiastic of five people that The New York Times asked to briefly try Windows 8 last week. “Definitely a step up from Windows 7.”

But the product is a major gamble for Microsoft, a company whose clout in the technology industry has been waning. The PC business, which generates much of Microsoft’s revenue, is in a severe slump as newer products like smartphones and tablets take more dollars from peoples’ wallets.

Kim Kardashian & Kanye West Staging A Major Cover-Up: Could Kim Be The One In The Sex Tape

Remember how earlier it was reported that there are now TWO Kanye West sex tapes floating around, starring two different Kim Kardashianlook-a-likes???

Well, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore!

Supposedly, as many have suspected, the woman in the sex tape IS Kimmy K — and Kimye is doing any and everything they can to keep everyone from finding out!

Even more so, the leading lady, Mony Monn, was reportedly given old, unreleased pics of the reality star to upload onto her Facebook to aid in the cover-up!

Not only that, but we’re also hearing that Monn was given somewhere near six-figures to go along with the story that it’s her and NOT Kim!

Talk about KRAY!

So if Kim is indeed the leading lady, why won’t she just fess up???

Two words: Kris Humphries.

The ex-couple’s divorce proceedings are STILL going on and we all know how much Kris is trying to prove the whole marriage was a sham.

What better evidence than a sex tape, supposedly filmed at the start of their marriage, to show that Kimmy was unfaithful???

Mz. Kardashian might end up having to cough up the kash — and a shiz ton of it!

Uh oh… sounds like Kimye has gotten themselves into one HUGE mess of a situation! Who knows how this will all end up!

A Major Death in Store for Thor 2?

Major Death in Store for Thor: The Dark World? - IGN var IGN = IGN || {}; IGN.pagetype = "article"; var igndrones = igndrones || {};igndrones.async = igndrones.async || [];igndrones.async.push(function() { igndrones.init({"audience":{"csid":"C07583","property":"ign","object1_id":107503,"pagetype":"article","topic_movies":"yes"},"chartbeat":{"uid":"21105","domain":"ign.com","authors":"Jim Vejvoda","sections":"Desktop Web,articles"},"comscore":{"c2":"3000068"},"exelate":{"p":"373","g":"001","c":"901810","ctg":"movies"},"ga":{"account_number":"UA-23541058-1","_setDomainName":".ign.com","custom_vars":[[1,"pagetype","article",3],[2,"object-id","107503",3],[3,"article-id","50537d30e20c47c84a52c960",3],[4,"content-title","Major Death in Store for Thor: The Dark World?",3],[5,"author","Jim Vejvoda",3],[6,"publish-date","2012-09-14",3],[7,"article-type","news",3],[12,"categories","comics.ign.movies",3],[13,"tags","anthony-hopkins.characters.marvel.movies.odin-marvel.people.thor-the-dark-world",3],[15,"action","articleview",3],[16,"controller","v2articles",3],[17,"module","default",3],[18,"resource","articles",3],[20,"is-community","no",3],[21,"signed-in","no",2],[22,"subscriber","no",1],[30,"object-name","Thor: The Dark World",3],[31,"object-type","movies",3]]},"linksmart":{"site_guid":"e8001434aabca750c585a401b7ccebf4adefde9ccece2151f848d46543c18009"}}); igndrones.fireTop();});SugarAds.adsData = {"adsDisabled":"false","dfp_network":"5691","dfp_adunit1":"IGN","resource":"articles","pagetype":"article","tags":["anthony-hopkins","characters","marvel","movies","odin-marvel","people","thor-the-dark-world"],"article_types":["news"],"categories":["comics","ign","movies"],"route":"articles","year":"2012","article_id":"50537d30e20c47c84a52c960","object1_id":[107503,912248,14300618]};SugarAds.renderAds(["prestitial","728x90","300x250","featured","side300x250","s728x90","2x2"]); Prime Newsfeed Latest View My Newsfeed » Pick Your PlayStation Representative Xbox 360 PS3 Wii U PC Vita 3DS iPhone Tech Movies TV Comics Reviews Wikis & Cheats Upcoming News Videos Boards IPL Blogs Podcasts Blu-ray Games Sites Stars Major Death in Store for Thor: The Dark World? Rumor has it that the Grim Reaper is headed to Asgard. by Jim Vejvoda September 14, 2012

Marvel Comics fans learned this week of the death of a superhero in the comics. Now it appears that death is also coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We're putting a big ol' SPOILER ALERT here in case this rumor pans out.

Still here?

You're sure, right?

OK, well, don't blame us then.

Bleeding Cool reports that the All-Father himself, Odin (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins), might very well perish in Thor: The Dark World, which is now filming in England.

Obviously, this is just a rumor for now, but considering Odin was killed off in the comics then the film following suit shouldn't be that shocking.

by Jim Vejvoda Latest IGN Videos Borderlands 2 Multiplayer Gameplay - Local Co-Op Mode Commentary #dsq-content #dsq-topbar{ display:none !important; } #dsq-content a.dsq-bar-reply{ display: none !important; } #dsq-content #dsq-new-post.dsq-unauthenticated{ display:none; } You must be logged in to post a comment.

var show_postbox = false; var link = document.getElementById("comment-socialLogin"); var redirect = link.getAttribute("href"); redirect += encodeURIComponent(window.location.href); link.setAttribute("href", redirect); blog comments powered by Disqus Become a fan of IGN Follow @IGN Popular Videos IGN.com:Editorial StaffReview GuideSend Us NewsSign Up for Email UpdatesSite Map International:AustraliaAsia PacificBeneluxCanadaGermanyIrelandMiddle EastSwedenUnited KingdomUnited States Sign up for the IGN Games Newsletter About UsAdvertiseContact UsPressCareers IGN Entertainment Games SitesIGNGameSpyGameSpy ArenaGameSpy TechnologyFilePlanetVE3DGame Sites1UpMyCheatsTeamXboxGameStatsGameTabGameVideosGamerMetricsGIGA.DE More IGN Entertainment SitesAskMenUGOActress ArchivesCelebrity WonderThe Rush

By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.

Copyright 1996-2012, IGN Entertainment, Inc.

SupportPrivacy PolicyUser AgreementRSS FeedsAdChoices igndrones.async.push(function() {igndrones.fireBottom();});

Major Retailers Plan Mobile Payments Effort

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.