google

Google's Privacy Shift Powers New Customized Maps

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:24:08 +0000

This week, Google, already a leader in mapping, created more space between itself and its competitors by more deeply mining the data users provide the company when using its various services.

At the Google developers' conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps, crowed about the company's mapping app for the iPhone — and couldn't quite stop himself from taking a dig at Apple.

"People called it sleek, simple, beautiful, and let's not forget, accurate," he said.

The company unveiled been tapped by Google to be the second city in the U.S. to get Google Fiber, the search giant’s super fast gigabit internet service. Kansas City was the first city to dive in with Google. And it’s learned some lessons.

Some of Central Texas’ largest Internet providers also serve Kansas City, Missouri. Think Time Warner and AT&T, among others. Kansas City Assistant City Manager Rick Usher says as soon as word spread that Google was getting some deals – waived fees, right-of-way access and more – his phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

Austin is Getting Google Fiber

Andrew Weber and Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:23:48 +0000

In a hugely anticipated announcement this morning, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell made it official: Google Fiber is coming to Austin.

The ultra-fast Internet service -- offering speeds more than 100 times faster than connections available now -- will "change how we live and how we work in ways we don't even know about yet," said Leffingwell.

Google says its first Fiber customer in Austin will get service sometime in the middle of 2014.

Google Paying $7 Million to Settle Street View Data Capturing Case

Eyder Peralta — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:24:04 +0000

Google has agreed to pay a $7 million fine to settle claims from 37 states and the District of Columbia that the search giant improperly collected data from unsecured wireless networks across the United States using its "Street View" vehicles.

As we've reported, Google raised eyebrows back in 2010 when it revealed it had slurped 600 gigabytes of personal data including emails and passwords, using the vehicles the company uses to photograph streets for its

Texas Lawmaker Files Bill to Regulate Self-Driving Cars

Aman Batheja, Texas Tribune — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:31:58 +0000

Two weeks after Google showcased its self-driving car to local officials in Austin, a Texas lawmaker has filed a bill attempting to regulate the use of the futuristic technology.

State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, filed HB 2932 on Thursday to define “autonomous motor vehicle” and “autonomous technology” in the state’s transportation code. The bill would require that a licensed driver be held responsible for such a vehicle when it is in use, even if the car is operating without the driver inside it. It also directs the Texas Department of Transportation to set up rules for the use of such vehicles in the state, including minimum insurance requirements. Nevada approved similar laws last year, though that state requires a person in the driver's seat and passenger's seat of a self-driving car while it is in use.

Google Street View Takes A Hike. So?

Claire O'Neill — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:18:19 +0000

A few months back, Google released a few of its engineers into the wild with a camera called the Google Trekker.

What Austin Googled in 2012

Wells Dunbar, KUT News — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:35:34 +0000

Google has released its Zeitgeist 2012, cataloging what the world was searching for online this year.

And sure, while Austin has its share of Whitney Houston and Gangnam Style fans (Houston and the song from Korean rapper PSY being the world’s top two search terms), Austin residents made plenty of queries closer to home.

Without further ado, here’s the top 10 most searched terms in Austin in 2012:

When Will the Driverless Car Travel to Texas?

Mark Dewey — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:52:23 +0000

Robots can perform surgery, build machinery, trade stocks, and even write news stories. And now they can drive cars.

California legalized so-called self-driving cars yesterday. Nevada has actually issued a drivers license to a robot car. And while Texas isn't exactly stepping on the gas with regards to driverless cars, it isn't stuck in neutral either.

The only traffic-ready self-driving car is currently offered made Google – although it’s not for sale. The system uses sensors and computers to navigate through traffic. Current laws require a human to sit in the driver’s seat, in case something goes haywire with the computer.

Google says its fleet of six Toyota Priuses, an Audi TT, and a Lexus RX450 hybrid have logged more than 300,000 trouble-free miles. There have been two collisions, but the company says that neither was the robot driver’s fault.

Google Poses Challenge to the Austin Tech Community

Mary Mattia — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:08:02 +0000

The City of Austin has agreed to participate in the first ever Google Place API Developer Challenge.

If you’re a developer, designer or generally tech-savvy, you’re officially invited to the challenge. But there’s something quite different about this event. It is specifically designed to help communities and governments run more efficiently through the use of technology. The idea is to make public information more accessible and useful, so developers will have access to Google’s database to make it easier to build applications on services like Google Maps.

Congressman Calls for Hearing on Google Street View Data

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:55:07 +0000

Google may be facing new investigations into its Street View program, which collected 600 gigabytes of personal data including e-mails, passwords, pictures and web searches while its vehicles roamed the streets.

This is not a new story. It goes back to 2010, when the Europeans ruled Google broke the law. But the story picked up steam again late last month, when Google released a full FCC report that revealed the snooping was not accidental.

Austin Loses Google's Ultra-Fast Broadband Project To Kansas City

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:33:26 +0000

We can still haggle over who has the better barbeque, but Kansas City, Kansas will indisputably have faster internet service in the very near future. Google has chosen KCK for its ultra high-speed broadband project. From the official Google blog: