News19,134 Articles

March 19, 2009

Google Street View UK goes live

Photos covering 25 British cities available

Carrie-Ann Skinner

Google has announced its Street View service now covers 25 UK cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff and Oxford.

Street View is an add-on to Google Maps and Google Earth that offers photographs of streets and cities.

However, many of the photographs feature passers-by who have been caught unawares, which led Google to introduce technology that blurred faces in the photographs. Street View was initially launched in the US in May 2007 and, following an investigation, was given the go ahead to launch in the UK by the Information Commissioner's Officein August last year.

Google has also revealed that if web users feel an image in Street View is inappropriate, they can be bring it to the search engine's attention by clicking the 'report a concern' button, ensuring Google investigates whether the image breaks any privacy laws.

"Street View has been hugely popular with our users in Europe and worldwide and we're thrilled it's now available in the UK for so many great cities, enabling users to see street-level panoramas of major city roads and look up and print out useful driving directions," said Google's geospatial technologist Ed Parsons.

Google has also revealed that popular children's character Wally, from the Where's Wally books is hiding in just one location in the UK that is covered by Street View. The search engine is challenging users to try and locate Wally, who sports and red and white stripped jumper and hat.

Broadband speed tester

See also: Windows Mobile and Symbian get StreetView

<<newer story | back to index | older story>>

Comments received


Uffer said on Thursday, 19 March 2009

Wow, that is really cool!

D@ve said on Thursday, 19 March 2009

Very Impressive

Earthware said on Friday, 20 March 2009

We're just waiting to see how UK companies use this.Similar imagery from Seety was added to our maps in commercial property search engine www.NovaLoca.com last October and has helped many people find and view properties for sale easily proving this is a bit of fun, but also has a commercial use too.

What is this?

Subscribe to PC Advisor now and claim your FREE gift

Keep up to date by adding PC Advisor News to your iGoogle home page or Google Reader


Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

Question of the day!

Does your smartphone replace your need for a laptop when on the move?

% of PC Advisor readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

What tasks can your smartphone do that would have traditionally been done on a laptop?

119 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @SmartphoneFocus

web browsing, search facilities, voip, email, word processing everything RT @Graham_D_C

Mainly email but getting better at spreadsheets etc, RT @IDGdan
Google


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Latest reader comments

Latest reader comments


Top news

News index


Latest blog entries

Blogs index


 Our RSS feeds

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now