Google launches Maps Ocean, allows you to scuba dive into the Great Barrier Reef from your chair

Ever wanted to go scuba diving into the Great Barrier Reef, but never seem to have the money or time to undertake it? Don’t worry, Google has got you covered with its latest addition to the Google Maps service: underwater panorama and “Street View” of six of the world’s greatest underwater spots.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? That’s because it is and Google has gone into great depths (get it?) in making this possible. The places Google allows you to visit in its latest Maps feature include the Great Barrier Reef, and places in the Philippines and Hawaii.

Google has been partnering with The Catlin Seaview Survey, which is a major scientific study of the world’s reefs, and was using a specially designed underwater camera to capture the images you are about to see.

Here’s a promo video Google has made to celebrate the launch of the Google Maps Ocean.

Follow the source link below to experience the amazing footage yourself. Just take your oxygen tank with you, okay?

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Online Storage vs Offline Storage – Which is better?

Data storage is a major concern not just for companies but also for individual users. As our need for bigger and bigger space increases, so does our worry regarding the safety of our documents and other electronic files. Offline solutions remain popular; after all, external hard disk drives are still commonly used. However, more and more people are considering online solutions either as an alternative or a supplement to their current storage type of choice. So now the question remains: online storage vs offline storage – which is better? Let us take a look at each solution to compare their advantages and limitations.

Convenience

Offline storage requires a device that can keep documents in electronic form. Some of the more common options are USB drives, hard disk drives (internal and external) and optical devices such as CDs and DVDs. To access the data from any of these devices, users have to be able to plug into a computer. The advantage is that they do not need an Internet connection. USB drives are very handy because of their small size but other devices are bulky. If the user requires a large storage capacity, he may even have to use two or more devices in order to accommodate the amount of data that needs to be stored.

Online storage, on the other hand, requires only an Internet connection, a cloud storage facility and a computer. It does not require a physical storage device and data may be accessed from virtually anywhere. However, this option fails if any of the abovementioned factors is missing.

Which is better: Either one works but it all depends on the availability of the tools.

Security

Security is critical particularly for high-risk data. The usual concern for offline storage is that with data being stored in a physical device, there is a danger of corruption in case the device itself is damaged. There is also the risk of loss and unauthorized access in case of theft.

For online storage, users can usually rely on tight security measures implemented by the service provider. The user, for his part, should make sure that the account user ID and associated password he uses is secure. Loss of data can occur, however, in the rare likelihood that the service provider’s servers get corrupted or damaged irreparably or if the user’s account is hacked.

Which is better: Both options offer a secure way of storing data, provided care is practiced by both user and service provider.

Integrity

One of the biggest problems regarding offline storage options such as hard drives is that they could crash. If this happens, data can no longer be retrieved. Great if the user made a backup of the files but if not, important data will be lost or damaged beyond recovery.

This is an area where online options have the upper hand. Storage providers take extra precaution to ensure that data stored in their facilities is safe and secure. They do this by creating redundant hardware that will prevent loss of data.

So which is better? That really depends on the user’s needs, along with the available resources he may have. When deciding on whether to go with an offline or an online solution, consider the pros and cons carefully to ensure that your choice meets your requirements.

Author bio : Peter Lee is the webmaster of ComputerHowToGuide.com. Despite the popularity of cloud storage, Peter still prefer to use external hard drives to store files offline. A cloud storage user himself, he found external storage devices far more secured than the cloud. You may also follow him on Twitter @com_howtoguide.

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

Introducing Instagram 3.0: Photo Maps

Instead of delivering new filtering options with the next version of Instagram (don’t worry, those are also in-the-works), the popular photo-editing tool creators have decided to take what’s become one of the world’s most popular apps in a whole new direction. Says Instagram CEO, Kevin Systrom, “Instagram 2.0 with its new filters, etc. was all about the user’s production experience. Instagram 3.0 is about a new kind of browser experience, Photo Maps.”

With the new version, Instagram developers hope to create a more narrative experience for users. Up until now, users have uploaded their shots and their shots alone – with no real background, story or structure to go along with the images. Now, however, a new kind of location data will serve towards creating a unique map of the pictures and thereby allow users to express their stories-through-pictures more lucidly (and more interestingly). Users will even be able to extract photos from the past, tack on a location to the photo and essentially revive it with a whole lot more chutzpah. Sound a lot like Facebook’s Timeline? It just may be – in fact, word through the tech journalist grapevine is that this strategy may in fact be a mobile-based rebuttal to the giant social network’s new format, since Instagram 3.0 will be available on both iOS and Android phones.

Photo Maps will allow users to organize their life-stories by geo-tagging the images they upload – the map will then be displayed on a user’s profile. Says Systrom, “In the beginning, social media was thought of as this ephemeral medium — you put something out in the world and it falls off people’s feeds in an hour or two. But really photos get more valuable as time goes on, they become points for nostalgia…up until not, we made it too difficult to access [the old photos]…We want to let you browse through [them] in a fast…manner, and we realized that the way to organize them wasn’t time, but [location].”

In addition to Photo Maps, Instagram 3.0 delivers a revamped Explore tags and user profiles and hashtag and location pages. Users will notice larger photo grids, never-before-offered infinite scrolling, and the ability to report comments as abuse or spam, which is key since Instagram has reportedly had some major issues in the spam department as it has grown. Not long ago, the company also added likes and comments to a chic, updated interface as well.

How exactly does it work? After a user approves his or her photos, a new Photo Map browsing mode shows up on each profile you follow (which means yours, too). The new mode will appear nest to Grid mode and List mode. When a user taps on the Photo Map, he is launched into a map view which organizes snapshots by location. Zoom in, and the shots are divided into more specific groupings according to deeper location.

Ready for it? You can download the new update here:

The writer of this article, Janice Bevilacqua, is an avid content provider for CPS Central, a retailer of extended warranty solutions for electronics. Her niche is primarily technology and gadget related topics. 

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com