05 December 2014

My Maps Pro, Free for Everyone



My Maps Pro used to be the paid version of My Maps. It was previously called Maps Engine, while the free version was called Maps Engine Lite. My Maps Pro had less restrictive limitations than My Maps and it was better suited for companies. "Both My Maps and My Maps Pro give you the power to create custom maps that you can share and publish online. While My Maps is perfect for creating and sharing personal maps, such as places to visit on vacation or your favorite hiking trails, Pro is designed for business or advanced personal use," explained Google.



Now My Maps Pro features are available for free in My Maps:



More layers and places: You can now add up to 10 layers to your maps, and import spreadsheets or CSV files with up to 2,000 addresses per layer. (The limits for free version of My Maps were previously 5 layers/500 addresses per layer.) Now everyone can create richer, more robust maps, and businesses can visualize and analyze larger location-based datasets.



More map views: Got a great map you want to share with the world? Maps you share publicly and embed on your site can now be viewed up to 25,000 times per day. (The limit for free version of My Maps was previously 2,500 views.) And for growing businesses, more map views mean your maps will scale with your business.






{ Thanks, Andrea Leardini. }

Santa Card in Google Search



When searching for [Santa] or [Santa Claus], Google shows a card that promotes its own Santa Tracker. Just like last year and the year before, NORAD's Santa Tracker is powered by Microsoft and not by Google.









Google also developed a Santa Tracker app for Android and a Chrome extension. "Before Santa takes off on Christmas Eve, his elves have cooked up a countdown timer to keep precise track of his departure. You can play around with his blimp, elf bus, and write messages on a frosty browser window. Once he takes off, follow him around the world as he delivers presents," informs Google.



Google's Santa Tracker has a lot of cool games and a feature that lets you send a call to friends from Santa.