October 8, 2010

Google Latitude's Desktop Site

Until recently, the only way to use Google Latitude on your computer was to add an iGoogle gadget. Now you can just go to www.google.com/latitude and see your Latitude friends on a map, add friends, view your Latitude history and change the settings for other applications that use your location.


If you use a browser that supports geolocation (Chrome 5+, Firefox 3.5+, Safari 5+, Opera 10.6+) or a plug-in that adds support for geolocation (Google Toolbar, Google Gears), you can share your location. "Automatic location detection requires wireless access or access to a WiFi access point," explains Google.

Hopefully, Google will also launch a desktop site for Google Tasks, so you can quickly check your to-do list without opening Gmail, Google Calendar or iGoogle.

{ via Google LatLong }

11 comments:

  1. Google Tasks seems to work here https://mail.google.com/tasks/canvas?pli=1

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  2. This is a step in the right direction for Latitude.

    As far as Tasks goes:
    Try https://mail.google.com/tasks/ig?pli=1
    or
    Chrome extension: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/bokbgdhblfolpfanocjafjhpjkebhlfk

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  3. and for a tasks sidebar on hosted domains:

    https://mail.google.com/tasks/a/domain.com/ig

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  4. do you really think that ionut doesn't know these google tasks addresses? he was the one who showed these years ago. your all three solutions are hosted on mail.google.com can't you see?

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  5. In fact, Google doesn't explain how they get the information about the wifi networks and signal strengh. And the answer is Google Street View cars...

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  6. @quimze: That's not the only source, don't forget about Android devices.

    @everyone else: The canvas view is a nice workaround, but it's not easy to find, it doesn't have a simple URL like google.com/tasks and it doesn't look like a full-featured web app (no navigation bar, no search box).

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  7. And what about an android tasks app ? Would be VERY usefull !!

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  8. This is a small step in the right direction for latitude. If you want to be found, you still have to leave a tab open all the time. Latitude definitely needs either a browser extension or a stand alone program which runs in the background.

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  9. Tasks on a separate site is way to go!

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  10. Could you stop force redirecting me toa useless mobile versjon with no other options?? Yes I am using a mobile phone, but i am NOT accessing you mobile page - SO DONT SEND ME THERE!

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  11. nice start of a knowledge base for Google Lat. I am looking forward to more options in the app and better tracking of friends. I recently used the app to find my 13 year old son's my touch 4g slide that was stolen from him at school while playing football. Tracked the phone down to the home address, knocked on the door and explained that the child living there has my son's phone in his posession. The child denied this of course and his parents supported him as any parent would... UNTIL.. I opened my phone screen and showed his parents that the phone had just updated about 4 minutes ago from a room in the south west corner of their home. Guess what, that was their child's bedroom. After a quick search of his room his parents found the phone and were very apologetic. They offered to pay the months bill but I declined. I just wanted the phone back and to teach the young man a lesson about stealing in a day of modern technology. I doubt he will ever take a phone again after this and I saved several hundred dollars by not having to buy a new phone. Great for tracking kids also when they are out playing. I build custom roms for my android phones and have locked the settings so without removal of the rom there is no way for the user to disable gps and latitude unless they power the phone down which still gives me the last location of the phone while it was on.

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