Google Thailand has made a commitment to help Thailand transform digitally through initiatives that merge efforts, technology and resources. The move will focus on empowering individuals, students and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to benefit from Google’s products and services. Ben King, country director for Google Thailand, said the role of the tech giant would be to make information universally accessible and useful. Thailand is viewed as a mature market with 45 million people connected to the Internet, and engaging with technology in an increasingly varied way. Thailand has seen huge growth in digital economy transactions, including ride sharing which exploded from nothing to a US$600 million (Bt19.67 billion) in gross merchant values (GMVs) last year alone. E-commerce has also seen growth of around 40 per cent and is driving toward even greater retail market penetration, with sales now reaching GMV of over $2 billion. Thailand’s digital economy … [Read more...] about Google maps out a digital Thailand
Google maps google maps
As Google Maps renames neighbourhoods, residents fume
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/business/technology/2018/08/03/as-google-maps-renames-neighbourhoods-residents-fume/google_maps.jpg)
By Jack Nicas The New York Times Sun., Aug. 5, 2018 SAN FRANCISCO—For decades, the district south of downtown and alongside San Francisco Bay was known as either Rincon Hill, South Beach or South of Market. This spring, it was suddenly rebranded on Google Maps to a name few had heard: the East Cut. The peculiar moniker immediately spread digitally, from hotel sites to dating apps to Uber, which all use Google’s map data. The name soon spilled over into the physical world, too. Real estate listings beckoned prospective tenants to the East Cut. And news organizations referred to the vicinity by that term. “It’s degrading to the reputation of our area,” said Tad Bogdan, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 14 years. In a survey of 271 neighbours that he organized recently, he said, 90 per cent disliked the name. Read more: Toronto’s Local Guides work to improve Google Maps and the city in the process Article Continued Below … [Read more...] about As Google Maps renames neighbourhoods, residents fume
Focus: Google’s ‘Reserve’ tool winning converts, taking search to next level
SAN FRANCISCO: Alphabet Inc's Google is drawing thousands of new customers to gyms and salons each month through an appointment-booking tool released last year, Reuters has learned, a quiet step in the company's transition to the next generation of search.The service, known as Reserve with Google, spares users the phone calls, online searching and form filling typically associated with appointments. Say you want a massage at 5 p.m. someplace within a half-mile of work. Google.com/maps/reserve displays openings at nearby businesses and allows users to book, and even pay, without having to call or visit another website.Google declined to comment on performance of the tool, which it launched last March.But in interviews with Reuters, seven software firms that supply schedule data to Google described the volume as significant, with as much as 75 percent of bookings representing new customers. Consumers like the convenience. Business owners say the tool is putting their names … [Read more...] about Focus: Google’s ‘Reserve’ tool winning converts, taking search to next level
Nobody wants to let Google win the war for maps all over again
By Mark Bergen Bloomberg Fri., Feb. 23, 2018 On any given day, there could be a half dozen autonomous cars mapping the same street corner in Silicon Valley. These cars, each from a different company, are all doing the same thing: building high-definition street maps, which may eventually serve as an on-board navigation guide for driverless vehicles. These companies converge where the law and weather are welcoming — or where they can get the most attention. For example, a flock of mapping vehicles congregates every year in the vicinity of the Consumer Electronics Show, a hot spot for self-driving feats. “There probably have been 50 companies that mapped Las Vegas simply to do a CES drive,” said Chris McNally, an analyst with Evercore ISI. “It’s such a waste of resources.” Autonomous cars require powerful sensors to see and advanced software to think. They especially need up-to-the-minute maps of every conceivable roadway to move. … [Read more...] about Nobody wants to let Google win the war for maps all over again
Google Maps to alert you when to get off the bus
Google Maps is adding a helpful new feature for commuters who tend to lose track of time during bus or train ride. It will now send a push notification when the user is approaching their destination."It's much easier for mass transit travellers to doze off or get distracted and miss their intended stop. Now, you'll get a notification that'll make staying on the train or bus too long less likely," The Verge reported late on Friday.Google Maps provide turn-by-turn notifications for driving directions and now, the addition will make the app send a push notification when the user is approaching their stop.This feature will especially help Android users when they use public transit.Log into Google Maps on Android smartphone, enter destination, select directions for transit and tap on the route you want to take to use the new feature.The concept, however, is not completely new.Transit -- a public transit app and mapping service based in Canada has a "Go" feature that takes the user through … [Read more...] about Google Maps to alert you when to get off the bus