17 January 2007
Google Offers Free Calls to Businesses
Google is offering a new service with Google Maps and search results. Businesses with a green phone shown next to their advertisement can be called free of charge through Google.
Click-to-Call allows people to click on the green phone icon in Google Maps or search pages and after entering their phone number be connected to the business. When someone enters their number, they receive a call from Google who will after the phone is answered begin calling the business requested. The number of the user is blocked while the caller ID feature on the caller's phone shows the number of the business. The caller is not charged even if the number is long distance. This of course doesn't apply to mobile phones where normal airtime fees are still charged.
The service is also currently only available inside the US.
If you think someone is entering your number as a prank you can contact google at adwords-support@google.com and the number will be blocked for the user for some time.
Click-to-Call allows people to click on the green phone icon in Google Maps or search pages and after entering their phone number be connected to the business. When someone enters their number, they receive a call from Google who will after the phone is answered begin calling the business requested. The number of the user is blocked while the caller ID feature on the caller's phone shows the number of the business. The caller is not charged even if the number is long distance. This of course doesn't apply to mobile phones where normal airtime fees are still charged.
The service is also currently only available inside the US.
If you think someone is entering your number as a prank you can contact google at adwords-support@google.com and the number will be blocked for the user for some time.
05 September 2006
Free Online World-wide Map Solution
Ever have a problem looking for a map of a city online, especially smaller towns?
Map24 could be the solution for those problems. It currently offers maps of Europe, North America, Brasil, the Middle East and Australasia. Recently they have also added the ability to use the service with mobile phones and PDAs, so users can get directions when and where they need it most.
Using the service, it was quite easy to find several addresses in the US, Poland and Slovakia. Some of the addresses were impossible to find on any online map I've so far seen.
When there is a doubt about the address, the service will display a list of possible locations which are numbered on the map itself to allow you to easily orient yourself in the area. Another nice feature is the ability with the click of one button to zoom out to view the larger area and then zoom right back to the magnification you were viewing before. The hybrid and satellite maps were ok in the US, but for Poland and Slovakia the images were not clear and were only of the general countryside and couldn't be zoomed to street level with any clarity. Although if you're using this for it's ability to find addresses it's very good and comparable to commercially available software I've seen and in some ways better, as that software didn't have the ability to choose the address from a list of different possibilities if the address was incorrect, which I've seen quite often in some cities.
Map24 could be the solution for those problems. It currently offers maps of Europe, North America, Brasil, the Middle East and Australasia. Recently they have also added the ability to use the service with mobile phones and PDAs, so users can get directions when and where they need it most.
Using the service, it was quite easy to find several addresses in the US, Poland and Slovakia. Some of the addresses were impossible to find on any online map I've so far seen.
When there is a doubt about the address, the service will display a list of possible locations which are numbered on the map itself to allow you to easily orient yourself in the area. Another nice feature is the ability with the click of one button to zoom out to view the larger area and then zoom right back to the magnification you were viewing before. The hybrid and satellite maps were ok in the US, but for Poland and Slovakia the images were not clear and were only of the general countryside and couldn't be zoomed to street level with any clarity. Although if you're using this for it's ability to find addresses it's very good and comparable to commercially available software I've seen and in some ways better, as that software didn't have the ability to choose the address from a list of different possibilities if the address was incorrect, which I've seen quite often in some cities.
