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Source:Mashable!

Google is under fire today over reports claiming the company failed to include any data for Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan on Google maps.  Worse, some reports suggest that once the fighting broke out between Russia and Georgia, all relevant information about the latter was wiped from Google maps.

According to the Azerbaijan Press agency, all “the relevant maps went blank as soon as fighting broke out.”  But Google contends that that assertion is simply false and it has not changed anything in quite some time.

“Google has not made any recent change to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Google Maps,” the company said in a statement. “We do not have local data for those countries and that is why local details such as landmarks and cities do not appear.”

In response to even more public outcry, Google Maps product manager, Dave Barth, said Google failed to include relevant street and city information because it wasn’t satisfied with available map data.  But in an attempt to quell user distress, Barth said that Google would now input basic information about all of these countries instead of leave them blank.

And while some users are applauding Google for doing just that, I think it begs the question of whether or not Google should populate countries regardless of the quality of data, or if it should leave countries blank until it has the data necessary to make the maps as accurate as possible.

The way I see it, Google has no responsibility to its users to populate every country in the world if it feels it can’t provide them with the most accurate information available.  Along those lines, why would users even want data that Google feels isn’t the best on maps of countries that aren’t generally the most searched for in the world anyway?

As far as I’m concerned, maps should be kept blank if the data isn’t sufficient to populate them and if users don’t like it, well, that’s their problem.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Google Maps Hangs Up on Click-to-CallGoogle Offers Easy Embed Code for MapsCustom Icons for Google MapsGoogle Maps in (Almost) 3DVisualize Recent Edits to Google MapsAdSense is Coming to Google MapsGoogle Maps Street View

Source:Mashable!

Is Google-owned YouTube backing out of live streaming video because it’s too expensive? It would appear so, at least according to Michael Learmonth of Silicon Alley Insider. While it’s hard to fathom that any service would require more capital than Google is willing and able to spend, according to Learmonth’s sources, the cost of adding live video would be enormous – a 20 to 25% increase in the company’s infrastructure costs if only 10% of YouTube users adopted the service.

Considering YouTube’s huge user base in comparison to startups like UStream, Mogulus, and Justin.tv, that certainly sounds plausible. There’s also the fact that YouTube is still sorting out its own monetization strategy, so adding more costs and advertising inventory certainly isn’t a priority on the march towards profitability.

Meanwhile, YouTube staying out of the space should be cause for celebration at the live video startups. In a poll we conducted back when YouTube was seemingly poised to launch a live video offering, 69% of our readers indicated that YouTube would likely become the most popular video streaming service. On the other hand, Google staying out of the market also sends a statement that they don’t necessarily think live video is worth an investment at this time.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Pirate Bay Cancels Plans for BOiNKSwarmcast Moves Into Live StreamingVeodia Streams Live from Your Blogustream.tv Aims to be YouTube for WebcastsMadonna Concert Live on MSNcomScore Releases Video Streaming StudyThe Pirate Bay to Launch YouTube Killer

Source:Mashable!

Fans of Drop.io, a file-hosting service touted both for its simplicity and fast accessibility, will delight in learning that it has just been made an even easier utility to exercise for your uploading and sharing needs. Drop.io is introducing today a plugin [direct download], compatible with the Firefox 3 browser, that allows a user to drag and drop items from one’s local computer to the Web in one motion. Files from various webpages can also be transferred like so.

The presence of Drop.io in your list of Firefox extensions is very subtle and unobtrusive. No buttons or bookmarklets to press in the main navigation menu and toolbar of the browser window. The only sign of Drop.io is a small red circle that presents itself in the right corner of the lower border. Once you’ve completed your installation, you’re ready to start dropping.

You have a number of options with the plugin. You can grab a file from your computer or some place out in the cloud and drag it to the corner circle, upon which an upload will automatically commence. Or, if you’ve already created a drop and want to aggregate multiple files in one place, you can drag a chosen file to a Drop.io tab. Furthermore, the Drop.io plugin enables the user to enter a bookmark of a drop for future use. If you’ve registered a custom drop with the service, you can add that as well, and you’ll naturally be asked for a password to gain entry. That is unless you only manage a free drop, in which case, access will be immediate.

Unfortunately, when dragging a new file to the red dot, a new drop is automatically generated. You cannot choose to add a file to an existing drop in such a way. It is only possible to pool multiple files together in a single drop via an open browser tab.

The folks at Drop.io have conducted quite a bit of alpha testing with Firefox 3 in its Mac, Windows, and Linux variations, and they now feel content enough with bug fixes in place to allow the public to dabble in the new convenience. I’ve only come across a single instance in which the plugin was stubbornly unresponsive to my mouse cursor. For the most part, though, it is a treat. Child’s play, quite literally.

And if this development weren’t enough, the folks at Drop.io have spoken to Mashable about a few other improvements as well. One occurs in the world of Twitter, where, in addition to offering users the ability to message about files added to drops, which arrived some weeks ago, they now allow customization of the language in their auto-tweets and fully control such language via email. Another is something they’re calling “Dropcasting,” which in the words of Drop.io Co-Founder and CEO Sam Lessin, enables users “a way to distribute/publish drops through the iTunes podcast directory,” making for a “whole new auto-flow system to get content on iPods and iPhones.”

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Firefox 2 Security Fixes ReleasedDrop.io Chooses Scribd for iPaper Previews400 Million Firefox DownloadsDrop.io Funded for $1.25MMozilla: Would You Like a Virus With That Add-on?Firefox Now Officially Hates MeHelp Find Memory Leaks in Firefox

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 11:32 am and is filed under News, web, social software, new york, firefox, Web apps, Drop.io, sharing, file hosting, Channels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.