Google has officially launched its Mapplets add-ons to Google Maps, a new collection of tools and mini-applications which enable users to layer third-party data—like real estate listings, events, photos, gas prices, and even YouTube videos—directly onto Google Maps. Originally announced in May when Google debuted street-level photography in Google Maps, the new tools are directly accessible within Google Maps—click the “Add Content” link in the My Maps tag in Google Maps—and users can save the customized maps in their own personal library.
Tag Archive: Google Base
eBay Yanks Google Adwords
eBay has picked up its ball and gone home. The Internet auction giant has stopped buying Google AdWordsfollowing a spat with the search engine. The row started last week, with Google’s announcement of an event that coincided with the beginning of eBay Live in Boston. eBay Live is theannual convention for the site’s buyers and sellers. The Google event, dubbed the Google Checkout Freedom Party, was evidently aimed at eBayers, encouraging them to demand that eBayallow the use of Google Checkout, theonline payment service. eBay prefers Paypal, and so far has not opened its site to Checkout. eBay pulled its use of Google AdWords on Wednesday, evidentlyin retaliation for Google’s forwardness, although the company insisted that the move was really part of an experiment in testing different advertising strategies. eBay had been the singlelargest U.S. customer for AdWords, according to statistics, spending around $25 million a quarter. Google has claimed that Checkout isn’t meant to compete with Paypal, but its message toeBay users seemed particularly blatant. “We’ll use the same spot where revolutionaries launched the Boston Tea Party to celebrate freedom with free food, free drinks, free live music –even free massages," Google invited eBayers in a blog post. Although Google canceled the party, it’s added another layer of tension to relations between the two. eBay has been aninvestor in Cragislist, which competes with Google Base, for instance. And eBay has a partnership with Yahoo, one of Google’s biggest rivals.
Google Strikes QuickBooks Deal with Intuit
Internet titan Google and financial software giant Intuit have announced what might turn out to be a landmark deal giving Google services a place in a major desktop application. The companies have announced that Intuit will incorporate a number of popular Google services into QuickBooks 2007, Intuit’s flagship small business accounting package.
“This alliance combines the strengths of both Google and Intuit to deliver innovative online technologies that help small businesses succeed in an increasingly competitive business environment,” said Eric Schmidt, Google CEO. “By adding key Google services into the world’s most popular accounting product, we’re making it easier than ever for small businesses to find and use all of the tools available to them.”
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