Google Maps Street View ... do you use it for?

[gewgluvr]

When I'm at work, street view can be fun for filler time. Or if I'm looking to go on vacation it's handy to see what's around the area.

But really tho what are you guys using street view for on your phone other than to show you friends who own Iphones how cool it it? Are there functions that I'm missing?

To me it almost seems useless for a handheld device. Even if it moved real time as your walking all it will show you is what you would see right now ... only 6 month to a year ago.

So my question .... is anyone using street view for anything useful .... or am I missing something.

 

[Miss Spicy McHaggis]

i see it as the ultimate stalker device lol

i looked up my house and it's the same picture..and my car is on the street..kinda creepy. unless you really don't know where you're going..when you're somewhere, i could be useful? maybe?

 

[Deleted User]

When I'm at work, street view can be fun for filler time. Or if I'm looking to go on vacation it's handy to see what's around the area.

But really tho what are you guys using street view for on your phone other than to show you friends who own Iphones how cool it it? Are there functions that I'm missing?

To me it almost seems useless for a handheld device. Even if it moved real time as your walking all it will show you is what you would see right now ... only 6 month to a year ago.

So my question .... is anyone using street view for anything useful .... or am I missing something.

Im not. I use it for wow factor to my family and friends. Other than that, i find it pointless.

 

[Cryptic79]

I actually did use it to find the parking garage I wanted on Friday. Sometimes I use it to know what I'm looking for when I have to go somewhere. Just the map isn't enough sometimes, so I go to street view to see what's around the building.

 

[Quirk]

Street view did not work very well when I tried it.

 

[drustvold]

There no seattle *sad face* how am I suposed to know where I shold go?!

 

[Oberox]

Street view did not work very well when I tried it.

Did you got your finger in front of the camera?
I think it's based on the camera, cuz the G1 hasn't a sensor in it like the iPhone has.

 

[scottslc]

I work in realestate. Great way to preview a neighborhood.

 

[pestilence]

Did you got your finger in front of the camera?
I think it's based on the camera, cuz the G1 hasn't a sensor in it like the iPhone has.

The G1 has an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a gps. I think the iPhone 3g may have all of them too, but the original iPhone certainly didn't.

The G1 can tell at all times (when it can receive gps) where on earth it is, how high it is, what direction it's going, how fast it's going, and how it's oriented in all three dimensions.

If there was such an application, and everyone chose to participate, you could look THROUGH the phone and see everyone on earth that had one, even those on the other side of the planet.


As for street view, I use it all the time to find a place I want to go and then verify which building it's in before I get there by finding the business name or address in the photo. That way I don't have to drive to the wrong corner of the intersection and then back and forth through it to find it.

 

[Oberox]

Does the G1 has a sensor in it how you are holding the screen?

Why doesn't the screen turns then when you turn you phone like the iphone does, only when you swipe out your keyboard?

 

[pestilence]

Because it doesn't

It certainly CAN though. Someone mentioned here somewhere that the video player application does it.

The hardware is there, for sure.

 

[solider]

the only other use i saw with the street view (aside from wowing your friends and family) is scouting the area if your looking for an apartment or house. At least you'll have a good idea if a street/road is wide enough, has off street parking, nice neighborhood, etc.

Also, isn't the street view photos mostly "outdated"? or not really?

 

[phillipxenxciel]

it kills some of my free time

 

[shuko]

I used it last night to identify a bridge:

We heard about the mystical "bayou burp button" near downtown Houston on the pierce street bridge.

"Is that the one with the tall metal sculptures on the ends?"

Street view FTW.

I have to turn off the compass functionality though... my magnetic implant messes with it.

 

[druminfected]

the only other use i saw with the street view (aside from wowing your friends and family) is scouting the area if your looking for an apartment or house. At least you'll have a good idea if a street/road is wide enough, has off street parking, nice neighborhood, etc.

Also, isn't the street view photos mostly "outdated"? or not really?

Outdated? I'm afraid not! I just checked my house and it has a air conditioner in the window now, so they must've updated the street view pictures during the summer

 

[Awesome]

the only other use i saw with the street view (aside from wowing your friends and family) is scouting the area if your looking for an apartment or house. At least you'll have a good idea if a street/road is wide enough, has off street parking, nice neighborhood, etc.

Also, isn't the street view photos mostly "outdated"? or not really?

I've notice the outdated thing too. They took a picture of my school when it was under construction... which was like in December of last year.

Also my street is too bright on Street View and hard to see.

 

[pestilence]

You kinda have to consider that they have to drive a special car equipped with a metric buttload of cameras and gear on top around every street in the US in order to implement streetview.

Personally, I forgive them for not having hit my street yet or updated some streets for a year or so...

 

[Awesome]

Well yeah, they definitely did a great job on it. And no one can expect them to have updates on every single street.

Although, without the updates, what would be the purpose of Street View except for just being a fun little extra?