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Google now lets users in more parts of Southern and Eastern Europe edit Google Maps

Feb20
by on February 20, 2014 at 9:28 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Google Maps

Google has opened up its Map Maker service to users in more parts of Southern and Eastern Europe — namely Greece, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia — it announced today.

This means that users in those regions can now contribute their local knowledge to add landmarks, roads, local businesses and more (here’s a before-and-after example showing Map Maker edits).

Map Maker is a browser-based service that allows users to create and suggest changes for Google Maps and Google Earth – this lets Google keep up-to-date with the changing landscape to ensure that its popular mapping services are as current as possible. Once approved, user contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile. You can read the story behind Map Maker here.

➤ Expanding our Map Maker Community in Southern and Eastern Europe [Google Maps Blog]

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Google now lets users in more parts of Southern and Eastern Europe edit Google Maps

Feb20
by on February 20, 2014 at 9:28 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google

Google has opened up its Map Maker service to users in more parts of Southern and Eastern Europe — namely Greece, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia — it announced today.

This means that users in those regions can now contribute their local knowledge to add landmarks, roads, local businesses and more (here’s a before-and-after example showing Map Maker edits).

Map Maker is a browser-based service that allows users to create and suggest changes for Google Maps and Google Earth – this lets Google keep up-to-date with the changing landscape to ensure that its popular mapping services are as current as possible. Once approved, user contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile. You can read the story behind Map Maker here.

➤ Expanding our Map Maker Community in Southern and Eastern Europe [Google Maps Blog]

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as ‘Office Online’, and opens up access at Office.com

Feb20
by on February 20, 2014 at 9:15 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

20140220 093133 520x245 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

While it was already suspected that Microsoft was planning a rebrand of its existing Office Web Apps, the software giant has now confirmed that the change will be taking place from today.

Part of the reason, according to Microsoft, relates to confusion caused by having ‘Apps’ in the branding. “We heard from customers that the inclusion of Apps in our name was confusing,” explains Amanda Lefebvre, a product marketing manager at Microsoft. “Are they something I install? Do I go to an app store to get them? No, to use them all you need is a web browser. Ah! You say. So it’s like Office, online. Yes, exactly. Office Online.”

So that’s that then – Office Web Apps is no more. As a name, at least. But today also heralds another change, over on its Office.com website.

While having ‘Apps’ in the title may have caused confusion before, it seems a lot of people didn’t know about the online version of Office through OneDrive or SharePoint. Now, Office.com will be used as a dedicated portal for Microsoft Office on the Web – including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote.

FireShot Screen Capture 067 Microsoft Office Online Word Excel and PowerPoint on the web office com start default aspx 730x386 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

You will of course need a Microsoft Account to access the free incarnations of Office, and files will automatically be saved to OneDrive too. The latest rollout also sees a slew of Office templates added to the online mix, many of which you may be familiar with already from the existing desktop software.

Additionally, the online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are now included in the app switcher, alongside Outlook and OneDrive – this basically means you don’t have to keep switching in and out of the various applications.
AppSwitcher Crop 780 730x307 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

This isn’t the only rebrand Microsoft has rolled out of late. Six months after losing a court battle with UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB over its use of the name ‘SkyDrive’, Microsoft announced it was changing its cloud-based storage service to OneDrive, a change that came into effect just yesterday.

Now, Microsoft is looking to tempt any previous Google Docs defectors back on board, or simply remind existing Office users that there is in fact an online version of its omnipresent software.

➤ Introducing Office Online at Office.com

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as ‘Office Online’, and opens up access at Office.com

Feb20
by on February 20, 2014 at 9:15 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

20140220 093133 520x245 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

While it was already suspected that Microsoft was planning a rebrand of its existing Office Web Apps, the software giant has now confirmed that the change will be taking place from today.

Part of the reason, according to Microsoft, relates to confusion caused by having ‘Apps’ in the branding. “We heard from customers that the inclusion of Apps in our name was confusing,” explains Amanda Lefebvre, a product marketing manager at Microsoft. “Are they something I install? Do I go to an app store to get them? No, to use them all you need is a web browser. Ah! You say. So it’s like Office, online. Yes, exactly. Office Online.”

So that’s that then – Office Web Apps is no more. As a name, at least. But today also heralds another change, over on its Office.com website.

While having ‘Apps’ in the title may have caused confusion before, it seems a lot of people didn’t know about the online version of Office through OneDrive or SharePoint. Now, Office.com will be used as a dedicated portal for Microsoft Office on the Web – including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote.

FireShot Screen Capture 067 Microsoft Office Online Word Excel and PowerPoint on the web office com start default aspx 730x386 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

You will of course need a Microsoft Account to access the free incarnations of Office, and files will automatically be saved to OneDrive too. The latest rollout also sees a slew of Office templates added to the online mix, many of which you may be familiar with already from the existing desktop software.

Additionally, the online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are now included in the app switcher, alongside Outlook and OneDrive – this basically means you don’t have to keep switching in and out of the various applications.
AppSwitcher Crop 780 730x307 Microsoft rebrands Office Web Apps as Office Online, and opens up access at Office.com

This isn’t the only rebrand Microsoft has rolled out of late. Six months after losing a court battle with UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB over its use of the name ‘SkyDrive’, Microsoft announced it was changing its cloud-based storage service to OneDrive, a change that came into effect just yesterday.

Now, Microsoft is looking to tempt any previous Google Docs defectors back on board, or simply remind existing Office users that there is in fact an online version of its omnipresent software.

➤ Introducing Office Online at Office.com

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Tencent is reportedly partnering Chinese online retailer Jingdong to gang up against Alibaba

Feb20
by on February 20, 2014 at 8:19 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, e-commerce, wechat

Chinas Tencent Purchases Google backed Social networking Company Tencent is reportedly partnering Chinese online retailer Jingdong to gang up against AlibabaChinese Internet giant Tencent, which is best known for its wildly popular messaging service WeChat (known as Weixin in China), is reportedly in talks to combine its e-commerce operations with online retailer Jingdong.

Bloomberg reports that Tencent may integrate its online shopping operations in return for a 6 percent stake in Jingdong, which owns the e-commerce site JD.com. Tencent owns Chinese retailing site 51Buy.com (known as Yixun in China).

A combination of both e-commerce businesses would no doubt lead to a stronger push for e-commerce on WeChat. It’s still an early start to the year, but Tencent has already been taking steps to do so via a $50 million investment in ‘China’s Yelp’ announced yesterday, as well as a logistics deal last month. In the meantime, JD.com would likely benefit from increased traffic via WeChat, a boon for the company that just filed for a $1.5 billion IPO last month.

If Tencent and Jingdong team up, it would pose a huge threat to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is already stepping up its mobile social efforts. Both companies declined to comment when contacted by TNW.

➤ Tencent, JD.com Said in Talks to Combine E-Commerce Business [Bloomberg]

Image via Alex Kwong/Flickr

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