The nation's largest transit system could be a bit easier to navigate with Google's new tools, including translation into 23 languages.

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Transit now assists New York City residents and visitors with planning trips via public transit, car, or foot.

New York State and City leaders joined Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page at Grand Central Station Tuesday to announce the launch of a feature that makes it easier to navigate the largest transit system in the United States. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs New York City's transit system, gives Web site visitors the option of planning their travels with directions from Google.

Google Transit incorporates the city's subway stops, bus routes, and commuter trains to outlying areas, with its map features, including street views.

Read more: informationweek.com 

Labels: Maps, New York, system, traffic, transit

A fresh look at Yahoo's search results Thursday by Hitwise Intelligence raises the question of whether Yahoo could survive just fine without its search engine.


Such a question is rather important to Yahoo investors, given the Internet search pioneer has given a cold shoulder to Microsoft, which has previously expressed interest in buying Yahoo's search assets. Yahoo, however, rebuffed the offer, noting in its investor presentation that selling its search assets, including its algorithmic search, would:

Jeopardize the Yahoo user experience and make it difficult for Yahoo to maintain search and display volume.

But Heather Hopkins, vice president of research for Hitwise, noted in her blog that Yahoo's valuable sites would not necessarily fair poorly without Yahoo's search engine.

Full story: news.cnet.com 

Labels: search, traffic, Web, Yahoo

Mobile traffic up 35% over summer months

Google's vice president of search products, Marissa Mayer, has revealed a jump in mobile access to Google's services during May and June; a time when traffic usually drops off as users go on holiday.

Google Maps has done particularly well, with the iPhone launch increasing traffic by almost 50% at the end of June. Google Maps has a huge hey-look-at-this factor, which quickly drops off once all the user's friends have been impressed (or politely pretended to be), so it remains to be seen how much of that traffic is sustainable.

Read more: theregister.co.uk 

Labels: mobile, phone, summer, traffic

Google has launched a resource center about click fraud, describing 'invalid clicks,' and monitoring tools.

Google Inc. has unveiled a Web site "resource center" focused on the thorny issue of click fraud, which many consider a potential threat to the company's main source of revenue: pay-per-click advertising.

Google developed the new Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center primarily to give its advertisers a single place to find Google's information about click fraud, said Shuman Ghosemajumder, business product manager for trust and safety at Google, on Friday.

Full story: pcworld.com 

Labels: fraud, tools, traffic

If you live and commute in a congested metropolitan area, odds are you live by the traffic updates on your AM radio. Today, Google bolstered its Google Maps with a traffic gauge that shows you the status of local routes in over 30 cities--including Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco. speeds directly on the map.

If the traffic reporting is available for your city, you'll see a stoplight pin-cushioned into your map. Click on that to zoom into a view of the traffic conditions. Major arteries turn red, yellow, and green, to reflect how the current traffic is moving.

Full article: pcworld.com 

Labels: Maps, traffic, updates