The controversial Google Street View project has arrived in Australia taking snaps in our major cities and towns.

The project has already captured images at street level in 17 US cities and attached them to the highly popular Google Maps online application.

It was launched in the US in May, and quickly attracted controversy after claims several images breached privacy.

Some images identified men outside strip clubs, women sunbaking in parks and even captured a woman’s g-string as she emerged from her car. Soon after, Google modified several images to remove or mask the identity of individuals.

Google Australia’s head of corporate communications Rob Shilkin said Australia’s privacy laws were tighter than those in the United States, and that no one’s privacy would be compromised.

“We’re giving very considerable thought to how best to safeguard Australian’s privacy, including consulting experts and community groups, while enabling all Australians to benefit from this new feature,” Mr Shilkin said.

“We’re focusing on finding ways to ensure that individuals’ faces are not identifiable in pictures taken in Australia and that licence plate numbers are not identifiable in Australia.”

Cameras mounted on top of “Google-labelled” cars will travel around Australian cities and towns, pausing to take a 360-degree photo, record the location of the image using GPS, and then move to the next location.

The images will be collected throughout summer and are likely to appear online in the second half of next year. (via news.com.au)

New Simplified Map of London drawn from memory… (by Nad @ flickr)

The TomTom GO 720 GPS Unit features a new elegant slim design with a high-quality finish that allows it to fit perfectly in any car or to be carried in a shirt pocket. The large 4.3 inch touchscreen has TomTom’s renowned easy-to-use and intuitive user interface with 3D graphics, including building footprints, that ensures drivers have an even better overview of their surroundings.

Technical Specifications:

• 4.3” full TFT color LCD touchscreen, 64k colors, 480 x 272 pixels
• Preloaded maps of the US and Canada on internal memory.
• High sensitivity GPS chipset.
• Support for active external antenna (not included)
• Built-in Bluetooth™ connection for handsfree calling, optional real-time trafic, weather and more
• USB connection for charging, updates and downloads
• Rechargeable internal 5 hour Lithium-polymer battery
• Dimensions: 4.6” x 3.3” x 0.9”
• Weight: 7.8 ounces
• CPU: 400 MHz processor
• Memory: 2 GB internal SD slot for optional, additional content. (SD not included)
• Operating temperature: 14° F to 131° F

Reviews:

GPSReview.net says…
What is important to note about the TomTom 720 is that it is more than just a simple specifications bump to an existing model– This device brings a lot of brand new features to the TomTom line that we can expect to see in future TomTom devices. So while this device is thinner, faster, and has a nicer screen than many pervious models, it has a host of new features that make the 720 an important device…It is hard to imagine this device not being a huge hit. It has generated more buzz in the industry than any other recently announced device. ..the TomTom 720 will also set a higher benchmark in terms of personalizing the device by allowing map updates, downloading map updates suggested by other users, and building your own voice prompts…

CNET says…
The TomTom GO 720 is a beautifully designed portable navigation system. Though more full-featured than the TomTom One, the GO 720 keeps a similar slim profile as the One and loses the extra bulk of older models… The entire front side of the GO 720 is dominated by the 4.3-inch, antiglare touch screen. With a WQVGA resolution (480×272 pixels), the display shows off bright and sharp-looking color maps. For the most part, we had no problems reading the screen…You can view maps in 2D or 3D mode. A status bar at the bottom of the screen displays useful information, such as the next instruction, remaining distance, and estimated time of arrival…

Google Maps users in the USA, Australia and New Zealand now have the ability to edit specific locations on Google Maps. Software Engineer for Google Maps, Seth LaForge, announced on the Google LatLong blog that the software will now allow users to place markers on the correct location in the event that it had been incorrectly placed to begin with.

“Take your favorite restaurant, for example. Now you can find it on Google Maps and move the marker to its front door. You might just save someone’s date with this information! Fixing markers can be downright addictive. I’ve spent hours using Street View to locate businesses and houses, and then moving their markers.”

To avoid vandalism the software also records the original location marker so that users can compare the two wiki-style and correct incorrect changes. Users require a Google Account to take advantage of the new feature.

Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas Of The Planet Earth – 73rd Edition
The Onion’s first original book since the New York Times best-seller Our Dumb Century, is destined to become the most important book of the new century—perhaps the most indispensable volume in your home reference library. In fact, go ahead and throw all of your other books in the garbage right now.

The Onion provides you, the elite consumer who actually reads books, a bound, beautifully illustrated hardcover archive of all the world’s accumulated knowledge. Carry it with you when you travel in order to make sense of the strange cultures and frightening cuisine of other nations.

BORAT: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
JAGSHEMASH READER! Subsequents to worldwide successes of his blockbusterings moviefilm, Borat Sagdiyev–televiski journalist and 4th most famous person of Kazakhstan–have in associate with Ministry of Information produce this travel guidings journal to minor nation of US and A. This book a most sensible acquisition if you are think of travel to this country and will instruct you on all you needing know–from how to get cage of your wife through airport, to how to gain entry to an American vagine without spend money.

It also contain most explicit guidings to American peoples–did you know that there are over 1,000 of them with chocolate colour skin? And that it natural, not makeups!? Learn too of the great American cities–Washingtons DC, New York and Londons–and read truthful accounts of their landmarks: for examples, discover that in realitys, the World Trade Centers of New York City is not near so tall as they saying it is.

Containings many many photographs never before looked upon and writings of most splendid caliber, this book really is a very nice!

Hitler’s globe sells for $115,000 – Press TV
A desktop world globe, formerly the property of Nazi Adolf Hitler, sold for an huge amount at a San Francisco-based auction house. The globe, which was recovered by a US soldier from Hitler’s residence in 1945 sold for $115,000. The 91-year-old US veteran said he took the globe as a souvenir after entering Hitler’s Berghof residence in southern Germany.

Garmin turns to Navteq; drops bid for rival mapmaker – Chicago Sun-Times
Garmin, the world’s leading GPS maker, took a new direction today, backing off from a $3.4 billion offer to buy digital mapmaker Tele Atlas while extending its pact with Chicago-based Navteq, the Chicago digital mapmaker. The GPS and mapmaker industry has been up for grabs since Nokia, the leading cell-phone manufacturer, announced last month it is acquiring Navteq for $8 billion.

Chinese take-away: Guidebooks – The Age
Travellers heading to Beijing for the Olympic Games may want to reconsider taking a guidebook. The Chinese Government has banned Lonely Planet’s popular China Travel Guide over what it deems controversial content. After repeated reports of confiscations from travellers, China’s ministry of foreign affairs confirmed that the guide was banned last year because of a map that depicts the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan as separate countries.

Nokia introduces a leading edge connected camera, navigation device and multimedia computer in one.

Nokia unveils the Nokia N82, the latest multimedia computer optimized for photography, navigation and internet connectivity. With the tools to discover the places and moments worth capturing, and the capabilities to capture and share them instantaneously, the Nokia N82 offers photography enthusiasts an enhanced camera experience.

Discover, capture and share
The Nokia N82 enables you to explore your surroundings and find your way with navigation and routing; document your adventures with the high quality imaging capabilities; and instantly share your experiences with one click upload to the web.

Featuring A-GPS, 5 megapixel camera, Xenon flash, Carl Zeiss optics and internet connectivity, the Nokia N82 also incorporates all the multimedia computer features common to Nokia Nseries. Like its predecessor the Nokia N95, the Nokia N82 is the latest epitome of a truly converged device that is not one thing but is many.

Discover the world
The powerful A-GPS and preinstalled* Nokia Maps help you explore and locate new places, whether in another country or just around the corner. All Nokia N82 standard sales packages come with a free voice guided navigation trial*, and you can purchase additional features, such as city guides and longer subscription to the navigation.

With access to more than 15 million points of interest, you can locate and navigate to the most interesting sights, bars or restaurants wherever you are. You can also send map excerpts and routes to friends by MMS or save map screen shots to the gallery.

Capture your experiences
With a 5 megapixel camera, powerful Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics, the Nokia N82 delivers remarkably vivid photographs, even in low-light conditions. Fast camera activation, autofocus with a dedicated autofocus assist lamp, fast reloading between shots and DVD-like quality video capture make it a truly convenient and credible tool for capturing and telling your life stories.

Thanks to the 2GB microSD card in the standard Nokia N82 sales package*, you can store up to 900 high-resolution photos or up to 84 minutes of high quality video on the device.

Share your stories
With high speed Wi-Fi connectivity and one-click upload to online communities, the Nokia N82 makes sharing your experiences and discoveries easy. When viewing a picture or video, simply one press of a button starts uploading it while you carry on using the device for other purposes.

Or you can impress your friends with multimedia slideshows – complete with music and effects – on the high resolution display or on a compatible TV.

The Nokia N82 comes with the new content driven 3D multimedia menu and includes a convenient orientation sensor that rotates the user interface automatically between horizontal and portrait mode. For quick and easy access to entertainment content, the Nokia N82 also supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including Nokia Music Store, N-Gage games** and Nokia Maps.

Rochester, New York — Strafford County residents might have seen a strange looking orange minivan driving around in the last few weeks, capped with multiple cameras and foreign looking wired machines. Some might have asked themselves, What in the name of all that is good and holy is that thing doing?

The vans represent the next stage in maps. For nearly 42 centuries, maps changed very little. They became more accurate, but they remained a two-dimensional representation of the land and water underneath us.

But cartography has come a long way in the past 40 years. And Rochester and its surrounding communities have just been recorded.

Tele Atlas, a global corporation based in The Netherlands with American headquarters in Lebanon, N.H., is in the second phase of a three-year project, mapping the United States and Canada precisely.

Read more »

In a world where portable G.P.S. navigation devices cost less than US$200 and free mapping software from Google, Microsoft and AOL is available online, is there any reason to buy a trip-planning program for your computer?

Apparently, Microsoft and DeLorme still think there is. Both companies offer extensive trip making programs updated for this year. Microsoft’s Streets & Trips 2008 comes in various versions, but the basic US$40 package includes road maps of the United States and Canada, as well as 1.6 million points of interest, like A.T.M.’s, hotels, and restaurants.

DeLorme’s US$40 Street Atlas USA 2008 includes similar mapping and planning features, and the company says it has more than four million points of interest, as well as highway maps of Mexico and the ability to transfer maps to an iPod.

To picture how these programs are supposed to be used, just recall how mom and dad used to spread out maps on the dining-room table to plot the family vacation weeks in advance. That’s who these products are aimed at: people who enjoy planning ahead and then printing out maps of their route.

To compete with satellite navigation systems, both products can be decked out with an optional Global Positioning System antenna to deliver live, spoken, turn-by-turn directions, albeit from a laptop computer in the front passenger seat.

Nevertheless, neither can compete against the portable navigation devices available from Garmin, TomTom and Magellan. It’s just much easier to spot an approaching turn on a small screen perched on the dash than it is to glance at a computer on the seat — or at a map in your lap, for that matter. (via The New York Times)

Two 15th century maps stolen from the Spanish National Library in Madrid, Spain have been recovered, with the help of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s special art crime department.

The maps, from an edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia, were found at a home of a private collector in Sydney, Australia who claimed that he bought them at a public auction in London.

“The theft of cultural property is a worldwide problem which the FBI takes very seriously. This type of crime is not only an offense against an institution, but deprives the international community of its cultural heritage,” FBI Director Robert Mueller said. “We are pleased to assist the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard in returning these treasures to their rightful owners.”

Meanwhile, the investigating team has confirmed the robber’s identity. His name is Cesar Gomez Rivero, a 60-year-old man originally from Uruguay with Spanish nationality living in Argentina. The authorities of United Kingdom, Australia and Argentina have recovered nine other maps. In total, 11 stolen maps were recovered. (via AHN)