As mobile usage becomes more prominent, one technology thatdramatically rises in value is Maps. Mobile devices becomelocation-aware, which can provide much end-user and commercial value. It's interesting to compare the Google and Microsoft vision for maps.
隨着移動終端的越來越流行,地圖服務的價值正在急劇的提升.移動設備可以感知所在的地點,這個給終端用戶提供了更多的商業價值.比較一下Google和Microsoft對地圖應用的看法非常的有趣.
Google started early with the Keyhole acquisition that augmented maps with satellite images. Then Google Street View captured ahuge number of photos alongside the streets. As the photos are captured,so are the maps, so Google essentially owned a mapping company. The recent Google car that drives itself undoubtedly leverages this accurate mapping. Maps have also become the center for finding places. So Google's map vision might be "precisely map the earth, and take you anywhere".
Google以增強型的衛星地圖在地圖領域開始.Google街景的自動拍攝車沿街拍攝了大量的圖片,在照片拍攝的同時,地圖也完成了採集,漸漸的Goolge擁有了一個地圖公司.最近Goolge發佈的無人駕駛汽車無疑會更加增強地圖的準確性.地圖主要功能是尋找地點,所以Google對地圖的觀點應該是”精確的做地球的地圖,帶你到任何地方”.
Less known is Microsoft's maps organization. It is apart of the "Information platform and experiences" unit. Inaddition to maps, this unit also includes conversational understanding, maps,imagery and apps, augmented reality and information discovery. This looks more like an intelligent, agent-based delegation interface, which shows you allthat is around you, helps you discover and find things, also understand the things that you see, and allow you to interact with them, all using a natural spoken interface. This vision might be “conversational interface that is knowledgeable about all that is around you."
我們對Microsoft的地圖部門瞭解的不多,它是”信息平臺以及體驗”事業部的的一個部門.除了傳統的對於地圖的認識,這個部門將地圖加入了很多互動性的體驗,把地圖,圖像,以及應用結合在一起提供了很多信息發現的增強功能.這個看起來更像一個智能的,基於客戶端的接口,將你周圍的一切信息發現並且告訴你,並且讓你和他們互動.他們的觀點是”地圖是你周邊信息與你的互動接口”.
Google's future is more like Batmobile in Batman. Microsoft's is more like theTerminator's user interface. And both visions are in the Minority Report.Which do you prefer?
Google地圖的未來看起來像一個蝙蝠俠,而Microsoft的看起來是一個用戶接口的終結者.兩種觀點都還在發展當中,你更喜歡哪一個呢?