It's a fantasy come true for the avid nerd /
traveler, but unfortunately for us, it's but a concept in its current form. Syracuse's own Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik have dreamed up Google Envelopes, and if brought to production, this might just make the USPS as relevant as it was during the heyday known as
1985. Put simply, the solution would involve a new 'Send Envelope' method of passing along a note penned in
Gmail; when pressed, you'd get a printout of the message along with a specially crafted envelope, the latter of which really makes this idea shine. The envelope itself would be a
Google Maps representation of the quickest route to transfer said message from you to the recipient if roadways and kayaks were used in place of fiber and coax, giving the receiver a crucially awesome keepsake each time you dropped him or her a line. Oh, and having an 'Avoid Tolls' option would just totally put it over the top -- even if were relegated to
beta.
[Thanks, Yofred]
posted March 31st 2010 8:21PM
Okay, now thats sweet.
April freakin fools lulz
:(
@hardluckstories
Wrong. I saw this story a few months back. And, if you follow the read link it clearly states: "It’s only a concept, but totally viable and something people can immediately understand. "
It's not even Google that is talking about this, it's a design concept company.
Real, but not real.
@hardluckstories Nah, I saw this somewhere else (Gizmodo or Lifehacker maybe?) and thought it was a pretty cool idea, using Google Maps as stationary. Wouldn't be surprised if someone at Google thought so too...
@gadgetfanboy damn, jinx. But honestly, I could see Google doing this. I mean, damn, just look at some of the stuff they have in Labs.
@hardluckstories Yeah, Google did the "gmail to snail mail" thing a few years ago. Assume this is the same.
@Snarf101
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — [pauses] - shame on you. Fool me — You can't get fooled again."
@Snarf101
This is very cool but what happens if the "from address" is East of the "to address"? :)
@2late2die
Guess you take the long way round :).
@2late2die
i'm pretty sure you could always get the appropriate envelope setup if you changed the orientation of the map and the zoom level. i think pivoting the map so that north is no longer north is in beta now on google maps, though bing has had the option for a long time (though only to 4 presets).
Kill the environment. Google?
Please use the old, white, and unprinted envelope.
@Snarf101
Looks spiffy and all, but wouldn't USPS reject these because they violate the regulations on graphics placement?
Early April Fools I suppose.
@horchata If that's the case, Wired magazine would have been in trouble with all their user-generated Return-To-Sender letters ;-)
@2late2die
the addresses are like speech bubbles, the pointer can be stretched to to wherever and the text still be in the right place
@Snarf101
How can I print one of these?
@Snarf101 super cute but like there would be major zoom id someone sent it from acros country amiright?
@Snarf101 Awesome. Ingenuity at its finest.
@hardluckstories
What IS Google's April fools joke this year anyway? I've been there but there was nothing...
Seems a little early.
what happens if you live south east of the recipient?
@engadgeted Heh. Same question I had.
@TPJ Same here. Do they just flip it upside down, and confuse the person that is looking at it? They better put a compass next to it so we know which way is North.
@engadgeted it would look exactly the same...
@engadgeted
Or maybe they just extend the little pointers that protrudes from the address boxes, but keep the boxes in the right places.
@Khalid Shahin
Or... They could just zoom out the image to a point where it's impossible to see any roads, thus not understanding which would be the best trajectory.
@engadgeted
rotate the map, Einstein
@engadgeted All you have to do is rotate the map and mirror it if necessary to get the labels to work...
I actually liked this idea, too bad it is an April Fools joke.
@skyler17
huh?
1) It's March 31st.
2) It's not by Google.
@engadgeted You mean south west?
@engadgeted
Sorry, gotta move.
awesome
seconded, snarf.
somehow google even makes snail mail crazy awesome. im literally grinning with joy at this.
Now this is innovation. GoogleNet is still on schedule for world domination
google maps sucks, there isn't any heritage lane in philly
Wait, Are you telling me Google Maps has an avoid toll option that I knew nothing about, Because all I seem to get is the Go through as many tolls as humanly possible route, I was beggining to think that
google got some kinda of commision,
Also that envelope is an awesome idea. I might actually start sending thank you letteres/
@Edobe click show options on google maps under the two boxes for the start/end addresses.
It's already April 1st in some parts of the world.
I just want the envelope printer.
A program that will spit out a "fold it and glue it yourself" template.
Of course it would have to deal with the fact that the sender isn't always neatly to the North-East of the recipient... rotation of maps... and it would be even better to have the senders address on the back.
Anyway, some formatting options would be good.
Sounds like a fun little programming experiment. A neat little website for someone.
Seems awfully close to April 1st.
especially since Google does an April fool's joke every year.
Just a suggestion.
@sean1
This is from some seperate inventor, not Google. Click on the Source link, he designed it.
Oh, just wait till the spam comes pouring in.
Would be great for seeing where all my unsolicited mail comes from
@ekary0te
It'll be from one of those undisclosed blurred, blacked, or cloned out areas.
Creative! :D
LOL! Actually come to think of it...its not a bad idea. Gmail can easily have an option where you can print your note and an envelope on your printer - kinda like those special/vanity envelopes. Perfectly doable despite being an April Fools joke ;-)
I can haz satellite view?
Ahhh one more step closer to becoming self-aware....
hurray for Google's annual April Fool!
If this were an April Fools joke I am pretty sure the demand for it would be so high that Google would actually go through with it