Google Takeout: Support For Google Voice

Google Takeout, a service offered for Google's various web services, has added on support for Google Voice recently. What does this mean? Firstly, I'll explain this service for their services.

Google Takeout allows users of Google Buzz, Picasa, and other Google services to export their pictures, videos, documents, files, and other data to simple, easy to use file formats. The new addition of support for Google Voice to the service will allow Google Voice users to export voicemails, texts, and contacts with ease. The voicemails can now be saved as MP3 files, while the texts and contacts can be saved as documents.

Facebook, and some other sites have also developed a similar service, allowing you to export your personal info and other data. The Facebook service, however, exports to a .zip file, which some users have difficulty with. Google Takeout fouses on the ability to export the data to common file extensions, such as .mp3, .doc, .jpg, etc.

Here is the short, comedic video that Google used to announce the news.

Original article via (TechCrunch): http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/06/google-now-lets-you-export-google-voice-data/

Walk Into A Business... On Your Web Browser!

So far, Google Maps and Google Earth have proven to be some of the most innovative tools out there for finding directions, searching a location, education, and general fun. When Google added "Street View" to those two services, it allowed the user to see first hand everything 360 degrees from a point on a road of their choosing, and jump from point to point, as if they were walking along the road.

Today, at the Social-Loco Conference in San Francisco, Marissa Mayer [Vice President of Google Maps & Location] announced a new feature that will allow users to see inside of local businesses and buildings from their browser as well, just like Street View! With the use of this technology, users will be able to look around inside of a local restaurant before going to eat there, or look around the inside of a business before a visit.

So, when can we expect this new feature?

It will be available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada this coming week! It will be available in other countries in a month or so as well.