Top Stories
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How Google creatively maps terrain too tight for cars
DigitalMost people know about the fleet of Google cars that go around filming streets. But what about the submarines and the tricycles and the backpacks? At Google I/O this week, the company showed off the collection of off-road gear it uses to map the places the cars can’t go.
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Amtrak upgrades Wi-Fi giving business travelers another reason to choose rail
DigitalComing soon on Amtrak: fewer excuses to not work while commuting. The national railroad, which operates 21,000 route miles, is upgrading its Wi-Fi service to 4G on many routes across the country. Amtrak says the aim is to offer increased wireless speeds and greater reliability. Hopefully, this will enable a wider set of online features [...]
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Google updates its maps to become a reflection of each user
DigitalAt its annual developer conference yesterday, Google announced a complete overhaul of its maps. Among other things, changes include a cleaner interface, integrated Google Earth, and maps that learn as you use them. If you search for a curry, it will suggest other South Asian restaurants. If you’re friends with lots of people who visit libraries, it may direct [...]
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Airlines await yet another revenue stream pending faster Wi-Fi
Transport…despite the rapid expansion of Wi-Fi on airplanes, no one has found a profitable way to cover installation costs with the scant revenue generated by the limited number of passengers who have been willing to pay for Internet service at 35,000 feet. The great advances in airplane Internet connections are being driven far more by [...]
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The new Google Maps products are the killer travel apps
DigitalThe most popular travel app on smartphones has always been Google Maps, but today’s announcements at the Google I/O developers conference makes life even more difficult for what few mapping, planning, and local information competitors the search giant has left. Google’s updated Maps products for smartphones, tablets, and desktop improve on what’s already the best [...]
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U.S. Senate rejects bill proposing biometric system to track foreign visitors
DestinationsRepublican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is considered crucial for the success of an immigration law overhaul, vowed on Tuesday to fight for a biometric system to track foreigners leaving the country after a Senate panel rejected the provision, in part because it was too costly. Rubio and seven other Republican and Democratic senators, known [...]
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First look at new Google Maps for desktop: Focus on personalization
DigitalA new version of Google Maps for the desktop was leaked last week showing a new look that provided a more full-screen experience while matching up to the Google Now-esque card style of other Google services. A release of this version seemed imminent, but most of us figured it would wait for a Google I/O unveiling. [...]
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The travel industry maverick fighting to change how we buy airline tickets
TransportFarelogix CEO Jim Davidson learned persistence and salesmanship from the imperfect contents of a blue suitcase that he lugged door-to-door in his Elmira, New York, neighborhood at age 8 with his dog, Lucky, at his side. It was the 1960s and Davidson’s father, a pressman at Artistic Greeting Cards, would bring home birthday-card rejects that [...]
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Dublin Airport now using biometric gates to quickly process passengers
TransportThis pilot program is for Dublin Airport passengers, some of whom are navigating automatic border control gates to get through immigration control as quick as 7.5 seconds, authorities say. The new program, which processes up to 1,000 passengers per day, is powered by SITA’s iBorders biometric gates. In Dublin, the system uses facial recognition and [...]
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Facebook may buy mapping site Waze as it seeks to know more about users
DigitalFacebook Inc., owner of the world’s most popular social-networking service, is in talks to acquire mobile-mapping application provider Waze Inc. for as much as $1 billion, two people familiar with the matter said. The talks to acquire Palo Alto, California-based Waze are not final and a deal may not happen, said the people, who asked [...]
