Google Maps Just Zagat Better

Just two months after showing off their new Maps service, Google has officially confirmed an overhaul of its Maps for Android app, and the changes are likely to make mobile users very happy.

Users will immediately notice a change to the user interface, which now features some nifty tools like dynamic rerouting, which can even help you beat the traffic. Google has even introduced a change in the search function which allows users browse restaurants, bars, hotels, and other places in a very Foursquare-like manner.

In addition to the updates, Google has also confirmed that Maps will also serve up special offers from retailers, and even feature a new venue rating system, courtesy of Zagat – a company Google purchased in 2011. However, unlike Zagat, Google’s other mapping acquisition, Waze, may end up being the center of a FTC antitrust suit. Google is thought to have been told to suspend integrating the service with maps until the acquisition is finally given the go-ahead, which is expected to be reviewed later this year.

Either way, the progress for Google Maps moves on, and Android users should see the update rolling in immediately. Reports also indicate that an iOS update is in the works and will be arriving soon.

Apple & Amazon Acting Amazingly Amicable

There’s no question that lawsuits and technology go hand in hand, and with any new technology, you can expect those who have an interest in the tech to fight tooth and nail to claim possession over as much as possible.

As for Apple and Amazon, this axiom certainly stands true.

The two companies have been locked in a battle over the rights to own the term “app store,” which has been a term since Apple began offering the service in 2008. Likewise, Amazon launched their own store in March 2011, prompting Apple to claim its territory and file suit later that month.

Yet for some reason (perhaps due to the fact that Apple lawyers could see how ludicrous their claims were), Apple has decided to withdraw their case.

Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, said in an interview, “This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use ‘appstore.’ We’re gratified that the court has conclusively dismissed this case.”

I guess this means Apple can continue to focus on with more serious legal matters, such as claiming ownership over shapes, like squares and rectangles.

Chrome Gets A New Finish

Just a month after third-party performance benchmarks put the browser in second place, Google has released a new version of Chrome, and it looks like version 28 will be better than ever before.

Although it’s currently only available for Windows and Linux, the new Chrome will be the first release to come with Blink instead of WebKit, which according to Google, was designed “to improve the open web through technical innovation and good citizenship.”

Another new feature is the addition of a stylized notification system. According to Google’s press release, developers “designed these notifications to be beautiful, useful and engaging.” Most importantly, however, the notifications won’t just be the basic web notifications, but they’ll be rich with information from packaged apps and extensions that could significantly change how Google presents content.

Many believe that the notification center is key for Chrome to make the transition from browser to desktop, but in the meantime, the update should make for some interesting new extensions in the future.

Amazon Comics?

A new publishing imprint from Amazon could have comic book fans everywhere jetting away from their local shops.

Jet City Comics, as it’s called, has already put together some big names for their comic lineup, including property by Neal Stephenson, and even an adaptation of a story by George R.R. Martin, which is expected later this year. The first issue of Symposium, a series based in Stephenson’s Foreworld, is already available as Amazon’s first comic series, and in October, Jet City will publish another original series, Meathouse Man.

Though Amazon’s imprints will tend to be for digital release only, the company will be printing physical copies as well, and they’ll even be producing re-releases of two comics set in the Game of Thrones universe. In total, Amazon hopes to release 10 total imprints, which it plans to distribute as the platform grows in popularity.

This Glass is Silent

Noise pollution is one of the problems with modern life, as insulating from noises can be both difficult and expensive, but a new material coming out of South Korea could make your world a little quieter.

Scientists at the Mokpo National Maritime University have discovered that sound relies on a material’s resistance to compression, and for certain frequencies, this resistance can be controlled using some unique methods. By simply placing two layers of glass close together, and drilling tiny holes at various points, sound can enter the chamber between the glass, and the resulting pressure cancels out the noise.

It may seem complicated, but basically, it’s a double-glazed window that traps sound inside of it. Cancelling out different sounds can be attained by simply adjusting the size of holes, with smaller holes covering lower frequencies, allowing engineers to control which sounds they want to hear and which ones they don’t.

The applications are endless, but the engineers who came up with the design described the benefits of their innovation, saying “if we are in a combined area of sounds from sea waves of low frequency and noises from machine operating at a high frequency, we can hear only the sounds from sea waves with fresh air.”

Hollywood Buys Laos. Well, Their Web-Extension Anyway…

Today, on behalf of the nation of Laos, the URL registry company GoDaddy began auctioning off dozens of internet addresses with the “.LA” suffix.

Even though the auctions end next Thursday, a number of domain names have already been snatched up, but seemingly very few of them have anything to do with the country in SouthEast Asia. With names like TalentScout.LA and Casting.LA, it would appear that the tiny kingdom’s film industry is taking off, but in order to build revenue Laos decided to sell the rights to Americans, effectively turning .Laos into .Los Angeles.

Though this isn’t entirely new, Hollywood’s URL buyout is an indication of trends to come, so expect to see this sort of thing happen more and more as the ICANN inches toward its biggest expansion of its top-level domain system in nearly a decade.

And that’s all the news we have for today. If you enjoyed this, feel free to join us every weekday morning on NewsDesk.

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