Google Buzz takes mobile location services to the next level
By Nilay Patel 
posted February 9th 2010 1:48PM
posted February 9th 2010 1:48PM
posted February 9th 2010 1:48PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
why no live coverage? Seems odd that Engadget didn't have a live feed.
@kingblind We don't really cover social networking, you know? We try to stick to gadgets, or at least things that involve gadgets. That's why we're focused on mobile location services here, not just Buzz as a whole.
@kingblind agreed. Only gizmodo was covering this. IPhone app should have push notification of these live events.
@Nilay Patel Great, please continue to focus on Gadgets only, there's always @mashable for social media.
@Nilay Patel
so in this case phones count as gadgets, but computers do not? you focused on mobile use, but it's not like there is some aspect of google buzz that can be accessed by any means other than a gadget (mobile or not). or has engadget cut out posts about personal computers when i wasn't looking? i know i only need to make this point in so many ways, but here's one more: you guys had plenty of windows 7 coverage, and as far as i know that can't be used on a phone (yet) ...
sorry for the rant, but just yesterday i was thinking how surprising it was that google didn't have a more significant social networking product, and i would think i could count on engadget to let me know when they launch one, mobile aware or not ...
@kingblind This is the next gen twitter! Love the location usage and the map integration!
@dantzig If the big A would have announced it the whole interwebs would have gone mad ;)
@kingblind: There's no live feed because Google has already told you everything that you need to know, because Google knows everything there is to know about you.
@dantzig Operating systems are a little different than social networking sites, I think. We don't cover Facebook either. Just not our thing -- we have to pick our battles.
@Nilay Patel and thank god! if engadget provided coverage everytime facebook got a new user interface... well, there'd be no more room for gadgets!
Keep up the gadgets :)
What is odd is that they are showing Century 16 theaters next to 101 when infact it is atleast 3-4 miles away from 101...
funny when i saw that consider i live almost next to it
go ahead and correct me if im just looking at that the wrong way
@kingblind
Sadly I will never be able to use this on my Droid because Google doesn't know how to make any of these work with a Google Apps Account. Even though I have both my personal and work Google accounts added to my Droid it wont let me use any features like 'My Maps'...
@Nilay Patel
Dramatic examples aside then, how about Google Wave, which has been covered extensively here. I think my point was clear that your gadget-focused explanation depends on a definition of "gadget" that isn't consistent with its use on your site as a whole. You cover phones but also dote on i7 MacBook Pros, so I don't see how software on a phone is more relevant to your site than software on a personal computer. Of course you have to decide what's important enough to post and what isn't, but the intial explanation you gave was no good.
@dantzig He said they don't want to focus so much on social networking. Google Wave is as much about productivity as it is socializing. With the many bots available, it's applications are far more than checking in with friends and colleagues. I've used it for things like code snippet development/modification, aided by bots that highlight syntax for the language I am working with. There are other ways to do it, but not in that same manner.
@dantzig
Engadget also doesn't cover every iPhone/WinMo/Android app ever made. Sure, they relate to gadgets, so sometimes they announce the tiny few that could really make a difference. But coverage of all that should be left for the sites that focus on those specifically.
@kingblind
I think that would be good information to have in a feedback section.
@engadget
Do you guys have a feedback section so that comments can be kept more relevant to information you posted?
@Nilay Patel Ok, so this gets little to no coverage, but Apple's Store goes down IS something that is covered?
Interesting.
@Gigaflop We were expecting new MacBook Pros -- those are gadgets, you know! :)
@dantzig
"it's not like there is some aspect of google buzz that can be accessed by any means other than a gadget (mobile or not)"
You could say the same about Facebook. The day Engadget starts posting Facebook news is the day I stop reading Endaget
@kingblind Combine Google Buzz with Google Wave, and we may have a new frontier for social networking sites: http://bit.ly/google-wave-why-should-you-use-it
For now, it may looked like mediocre, but indeed there's a room for a lot of improvement here.
@Nilay Patel Oh my gosh! I'm agreeing with Nilay!
please don't start covering facebook.
Google, I love all that you do for me. Please give me a hug.
@Level 5 Google, I love you and the way you make me want to let you know exactly where I am, what I want to buy and for you to tell me what I might also be interested in.
@Level 5
*Big Hug*
I want to make your lives easier.
...of a 5 minute...
what?
A 5 minute what?
WHAT?
TELLL MEEEE!!!
@Eugene Action
Tommy Tank?
@Eugene Action a 5 minute walk to/fro the computer history museum, duh
@Eugene Action
The answer to your question is a mystery that I just investigated.
This post from Mr. Kanduri is NOT included as one of the 16 reviews of the theater that I found by finding that exact same theater on Google Maps. (It's in Mountain View, CA)
Another review, however, stated how conveniently located the theater was to his house - just 5 minutes away. That has to be it.
Overall, if it matters, people hate this old theater with small seats and terrible sound. LOL
@KennyB123
Hi5
@KennyB123 That is indeed an older, not-spectacular cineplex.
But, it's a 5-minute walk from Google's campus, so I'd guess the line would say something like, 'you can't beat the convenience of a 5 minute walk from work!'
When is the iPhone app coming out to take advantage of this?
@Dieselboy28
As the article stated, "buzz.google.com" for the iPhone and Android. Just go there and save it as a web app. No real need for it to be an actual app on the iPhone.
@Dieselboy28 I'm pretty sure Google isn't in love with making apps to do this stuff. They've been doing the web app thing for everything else, like Gmail, so I don't see why they'd make an iPhone app for it now.
@Dieselboy28 The web is the ultimate App Store
@Dieselboy28
New version of Google Maps is available now with integrated Buzz support. Don't know if Apple allows Google Maps yet, but it works great on Android :)
@Chip
... You don't know if Apple allows Google Maps? Are you serious? Google Maps? The application on the iPhone that's been integrated into the home page since day one of the iPhone? Wow.
@Jack
That app just uses map data from Google. It is made by Apple and is thus NOT equivalent to the Google Maps app on Android. Apple dictates what features go into it so Buzz may or may not be included.
@Jack Yup, you guys get the stunted version of Google Maps due to Apple's strict App Store policies
But doesn't buzz have pretty deep gadget integration? I dunno. I still think you should have been there.. I hate going to giz for coverage. It's amateur hour over there. Thanks for the reply. keep up the great work
@kingblind We were there -- that's why we have pictures. But we're focused on the gadget angle, mostly, so we just did this post on the mobile location stuff.
Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Talk, Google Search, Google Chrome, Google Tasks, Google Goggles, Google Wave, and now Google Wave... Is there anything that doesn't do that helps me manage my life?
I'm going to upgrade from my E71 in the summer... I was thinking either iPhone or Android... I think the choice I should make is pretty obvious.
*and now Google Buzz
@Butler Nexus One seems like the clear choice.
@TheHypnotist
Just like most of Google's services, Buzz works on the iPhone too. Read the article.
@Jack : Yeah, but it's all about seamless, native integration between google services and the mobile os... Android cannot be beat in that regard.
@Butler Agreed. All they need now is a Googletunes to replace iTunes and maybe a gPod and then it will be a no brainer
@Jack Iphone can't touch the nexus one in regards to the integrated google services.
@stabbytheicepic
None of that changes the simple fact that most of those services can still be accessed on the iPhone.
@Jack Except the nexus one is better hardware on a faster network :P
@Edobe Ugh, the last thing I want to deal with is itunes, or any music player that acts like it. Not having to use itunes is a selling point/feature, not a bad thing.