Jaiku moving to Google App Engine

This interesting update comes via the Jaiku blog... Today we’re taking off our welding goggles to announce Jaiku will be one of the first apps to run on the new Google App Engine. See also www.jaiku.com

Add Maps to your cutom Google homepage (iGoogle) or your Google MyMaps

Imagine having the following on your desktop and constantly updating for you in real time...
traffic reports
world news headlines
KML samples
photos ser4ved via KML
a world sunlight map
images from Googleplex
Google map search
weather channel maps
virtual earth maps
traffic cams
mapquest driving directions
map of things to do in Sydney Australia
Yahoo! local maps
listing of map mashups from programmable web

These are but a few of the tools (map gadgets) now available via the Google Heomepage (custom) add stuff directory. Its also easy to add these as Mapplets to your Google Maps... The directory is accessed by clicking on the "Add content" link in the "My Maps" tab in Google Maps.

To add "Map" mapplets to your iGoogle custom homepage simply do the following:
- sign in to your google account
- go to your custom home page
- create a new tab, maybe call it "Map Stuff"
- Click Add Stuff (right side)
- Search homepage content using "maps"

For more information including documentation on how to create your own mapplet see http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/mapplets/
Don't forget you'll need an API key - see http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html

Map Mashup Software Allows Users to Easily Integrate Data with Google Maps and Google Earth

terra IMS announces the release of geoXtract, a powerful desktop application that provides users with an easy way to integrate existing data in a variety of formats with Google Maps and Google Earth. geoXtract™ provides an intuitive “wizard” interface that leads users through data selection, data configuration, data processing, and data publishing. All data processing is automated with geoXtract™, so there is no need for users to manually create each data point that will be displayed on the map. Users can easily integrate tens, hundreds, and even thousands of points with Google Maps™ and Google Earth™, and there is absolutely no programming required. See http://www.geoxtract.com

Notes from Google VP Jeff Huber from Google Developer Day

A few notes I grabbed while attending Google's Developer Day a couple of weeks ago... VP Engineering, Jeff Huber kicked things off to more than 1,500 attendees/developers of Google Developer Day in San Jose, CA. Those electing not to make the trek to the “Valley” were also treated to a live broadcast which was estimated to have been viewed by more than 5,000 online attendees – note: the event is archived online and available via YouTube. We were reminded by Huber that in typical Google fashion the event was totally free and included free food as well (clap). This, as many of you know, was the first google Developer Day, although last year Google did host an event billed as Geo-Developer Day (I was fortunate enough to have been there also).

Remembering one year ago - Recall it was way back in 2005 when the Google maps API really kicked things off. It brought to the end user a new way of interacting with the web. The Google maps developer crew reverse engineered the API and created what was known as mashups. Remember the housingmaps mashup which enabled visualizing the location of available properties for rent? This first mashup is what really sent the developer team thinking and eventually coming up with the idea of throwing out an API for the developer world to take advantage of. Fast-forward to 2006 when we saw the AJAX search API and the emergence of the gdata API - exposing APIs as web services. 2007 will see several new products.

Some highlights from Huber’s introduction:

- Now after one year there are 10x more APIs to discuss

- there are 25 times the number of developers to reach via the developer event (hence the need to scramble with a larger venue at the last minute)

- The new model of application development includes open source, standards, mashups, and advertising

- Developers are now creating apps in a 10th of the time that was required back in the day!

Photos from Google Developer Day