By Zaid Shuhaibar
According to an article entilted “Google Earth Brings virtual tourism to iPhone” by Stephen Shankland on CNET news, Google Earth has become available for the iPhone. Google Earth is a geographical software that allows its users to view satellite and aerial images of anywhere in the world. Now available for everyone to use through their iPhones, people have the ability to be “tourists” all the time. Through the use of your own fingertips, you can view anywhere in the world from different angles and perspectives. Also, many pictures are available to click on so you could see exactly what the area looks like. Google already advertises through the Google Earth on the Web and it may begin to also advertise on the iPhone to produce even more revenue.
Google Earth on the iPhone relates to our class discussions in that web 2.0 continues to improve and become more efficient and easier to access. Now, people can be using web 2.0 anywhere in the world (where Internet access is available) to become tourists through Google Earth. People will soon be able to take pictures of different locations through their iPhone and submit them directly to Google Earth for others to see. This raises many questions about the future of web 2.0. For one, is web 2.0 coming to an end? In other words, is this a start of a new era in which people are always on the web, not just when they are on their computers? Also, how much more efficient and convenient will the access to certain web applications become? It is already possible to put many of those applications in our pockets and carry them around all the time. How can Google Earth in general affect people’s travel? Will people want to travel more so that they can see “Google Earth” in person, or will they feel as though there is nothing left to see?
3 Comments
October 27, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I believe that we are in a transition to the start of a new era. It is an interesting thing to point out that web 2.0 might be coming to an end. The technology is constantly advancing and slowly shaping the way we live. The internet no longer has to be accessed through a computer or a laptop but at the touch of our fingertips with our hand held devices such as palm pilots and iPhones. The iPhone itself has really taken phones to a new level and opened doors to what a phone is capable of. Google Earth is already a wonder of a program on its own, and to combine that with the iPhone is a great move. Just imagine though, that you can literally see the world from your hands. I don’t believe that this combination would have much of an impact on travelers. People would still travel to places they want to see. I don’t believe a picture can replace a real scenery.
October 28, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I think it is a stretch that people won’t want to travel anymore just because they can see cool pictures on their iphone. There have been books for centuries with pictures of foreign places, and that doesn’t make a means to an end of traveling. I do agree, however, that Web 2.0 is dramatically improving daily and people aren’t just on their computers, but also on their phones accessing the internet at all hours of the day. This has become a part of our lifestyle and something that has assimilated into our culture. If you took away someone’s blackberry, it’s almost like a sin. I also believe that there is always room for adjustment and improvement and I’m sure the internet will continue to expand in ways we can’t imagine now. Looking back at when the internet started, who would have thought of many of the interesting, high-tech things we use daily today.
November 2, 2008 at 4:11 pm
i would never not want to go somewhere just because i see cool pics of the place.
that would make me want to go more.
there are already plenty of books that are just fancy pictures of some destination, but usually when you see awesome pictures you want to go to that place more to see it for yourself.
as for google earth, i think its used more as a game than as a tool for most people. most people type in their address to see their house, and play around with the application.
i dont think people will be typing in “maui, hawaii” and then say “oh how nice. ok now that i can see it on my iphone i am not going to go there anymore.”
technology is improving resources for traveling, but in no way eliminating travel. i think it is actually doing the opposite.