TechnologyDriven

Google recently launched a service called “MyMaps” which allows you to easily create map mashups (provided that you have a Google account).

“Users are able to create their own maps and mark them public or private. The annotation tools that are provided are very simple and easy to use. Users are able to add lines, polygons and placemarks. They can edit those placemarks with HTML, images, and video. Once a map is created it is very easy to share it and syndicate it via KML. Items found during a local search can be added to a map with a click. Places found via GeoRSS or KML files can also be added to a map.”

(from O’Reilly Radar)

Writely and Google spreadsheets are now combined as “Google Docs & Spreadsheets“, which includes that the writely brand has also been removed. Google’s office-suite assumes shape.

(from Web2.0 Explorer)

There have been some rumours out there, now there is an official press-release: the leading search-engine Google will acquire the most popular video-sharing platform YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock.

This is the most expensive acquisition in Google’s history, for a rival of their own video service with only half of YouTube’s market share. Some say this would show that Google is moving more and more toward’s being “another content company“, but as they still have products like writely and google spreadsheets, you could also say they are moving towards being a office-suite vendor. There doesn’t seem to be ‘the one’ strategic direction for Google…

UPDATE: nice comic related to this topic from blaugh

Google released a new version 1.1.10 of their AJAX- and Java-based Google Web-Toolkit (GWT), which fixes some bugs.

Besides, a fist book on GWT is available from the Pragmatic Programmers.

(from Ed Burnette’s Dev Connection)

Google brings a new version of it’s Jabber-based instant messenger, Google Talk. It brings some new features already known from other IM-clients, like file-sharing and voice-mailing. You can get it here.