A9 Offers Maps

[Brett_Tabke]

[maps.a9.com...]

A9 has launched a service that combines an interactive map with street level images from 22 cities.

[natural number]

Yeah, I saw it today. NOt sure if I really like it. I listened to the video of the creation of it, and the one guy said "proprietary software" like 30 times. He was really into it. LOL! Its kinda cool. Pretty useful if you live in a city it covers. I just think Amazon is drifting farther away from its core --- BOOKS! Just sell books amazon! Seriously. I have never heard of anyone even mention alexa.

[Red_Eagle]

Interesting. I saw a site that had photographs of the entire coast of California.

I'm amazed at Google Maps already. I guess the next thing is street level images of the whole world!

[Clark]

Isn't this old news? I read about this months and months and months ago. Or is it just that they widened the number of cities?

Am I the only one that feels A9 is becoming one of the best Search Engines (even though I'm still used to using the Google toolbar and wind up on G by default).

What's next? A9sense? (Just heard the sound of dozens of people trying to grab the domain :) )

People talk about Yahoo and MS competing w/ Google in context Ads, but maybe Amazon should be a concern too?

[Brett_Tabke]

They integrated A9 Maps today Clark. Previously, they integrated Maps with the Yellow pages.

[Clark]

Thanks Brett. Those pics are so cool.

They had the street pics w/ the Yellow pages, right?

Funny thing is, when I read the article back then about how they were sending a special truck with a camera to get the pictures and map them, I never got around to check out the map and totally forgot about it until your post.

[janethuggard]

It's too bulky. In a city there are too many shadows from the tall buildings so close together, and the program runs like a slide show. I hate slide shows. I don't want to have to click through images. Feed me, real time.

Give me webcams, and I am in love. Now that is real life. I see more of what NYC is like from the webcams there, than the Amazon slide show presents to me. Guess I am spoiled by my personal webcams list of cities, towns and entertainment.

Amazon...

Darling I love you, but give me park avenue webcams, not still life. If I need a map, I can go to Google, Yahoo, or Map Quest. Don't compete with them, top them...go LIVE. Quit sponsoring that space exploration scheme and setup cams across America. It is money better spent. Nobody is leaving this planet when we have finished destroying it, so just make what we have here more enjoyable and can the Texas property.

[Smart_Alec]

Wow. I found this collection and distribution of imagery to be very exciting. I’m putting my chips in with Clark that A9 is a contender in the Search and Display arena. I am curious how/why they choose the cities they do to implement this. Are these places that they already have resources available? Or are they places that will have a maximum effect on a future A9sense?

[decaff]

localization...localization...localization...
this is part of the future of search (mobile/IPv6)..
Amazon is simply setting themselves up to "participate"
in this expanding opportunity...where there are some tremendous revenue opps from advertising and services...

[sun818]

When Google puts up wireless access points at every electricity pole, they can put up 360 degree web cams. Talk about total big brother coverage. Put some RFID detectors in each tower while you're at it in anticipation of embedding RFID in people.

[Herenvardo]

About the photos, they're nice and interesting. But about the maps and overall, I feel it's... too much limited :(
For town and city maps I've been using for a while www.viamichelin.com. It includes a lot of towns and cities, not only US, but worldwide... there are some very small towns that not appear, but its coverage is nonetheless much wider than A9. It doesn't include photos, but in any case, A9 neither includes photos of my town because I'm in Spain :P
So, if they want to beat competition, they'll need a wider coverage.

Greetings,
Herenvardö