How to Best Use Google Maps

It’s easy to find your way with Google Maps around, no doubt. But with the New Year just around the corner, the experience need not be a drag. With a few tricks you can get to that high school reunion or for that matter to your way home even when you’re a little tipsy – without getting lost.

Here are 10 proven tweaks that could get you a much-more palatable Google Map experience. This is a service that would have otherwise been impossible had GPS not come into the limelight. Of course, your viewing experience will be a lot more fun on a tablet (e.g., an iPad on a sleek iPad mini keyboard case) but smartphones will not give you any disservice, delivering you those crispy Street Views when you need one.

 Most of the methods here are generic and will work fine on either an iOS device or an Android one. Except for the first one, which is (for now) applicable only to the Android system.

Have G.M. (Google Maps), will travel!

1.   Operate offline.

Sounds too good to be true? Yes, unbelievable as it seems, you can actually use your google maps even without Wi-Fi or cellular data. Though available only on Android (iOS-users click here), this useful feature will let you enjoy

2.   Rate those wonderful spots.

Here’s a way to cast a vote of confidence on that wonderful resto-bar you’ve spent your Friday night-out – and had a good time. It’s so much more useful, if you’re the yelping type. Just pull up the info sheet and navigate to “Rate and Review”.

In case you are loathing erasing a business enterprise out of the map, you can also do that. Get your negative reviews out via the same window.

 3.   Get timely suggestions how to spend your day.

Lazing up on a Sunday afternoon, not sure what to do. Well, let Google Map help you. Just tap on the search bar and hit explore. Voila! You’d be surprised how many more of those must-see places or eating places you’ve missed.

 4.   Save a place for use later.

As busy as we can get, this one is a time-saver. When you are looking at a particular place and you’re out of time and want to see it later, just pull up the info sheet of the place and tap save. To pull it out later, just go to the person icon (upper right hand) and pick the saved place you want to see.

5. Get needed specs on a business.

There are times you would want to get to know more a restaurant or a summer get-away before checking on the location personally. This one’s easy. Just tap on a specific business place, and then swipe that info sheet located at the bottom. Doing a swipe left or right also to get to know similar places located just nearby.

6. Get a list instead of a map.
 
Ok. We get you, you’re the specific type. If looking over a map dazes you and blocks your creative thinking or whatnot just lest G.Maps do a list instead. To do this, just tap that list view icon when you do a search.    

7. Find more ways to zoom.

True, you can still do the usual pinch to zoom. But why do only that when you also just double-tap a particular map, hold your finger down and scroll down thereafter? May feel a little outlandish at first but with practice it really is pretty smooth.

8. Enjoy GPS navigation in seconds.

Lost in a big city like New York? No worries. Let the advanced technology of Google Map guide you. Just select where you want to venture by holding your finger in that particular spot dropping a pin in the process. For a turn-by-turn GPS guided navigation, just do a simple tap then hold.

9. Drop a pin to Street View.

For clarity and detail, Street View amazed me. Now, you can also utilize this dazzling feature via your smartphone or tablet. To do this, just press and hold that particular area effectively dropping a pin. From there you get to usher in Street View or even share the location if you choose to.

10. Save addresses for speedy directions.

You could be creating unwanted delays. Save the routine. Get those usual places saved (e.g., home, work, restaurants) so you will not have to retype them over and over again. Just tap that person icon situated in the right hand corner near the Search bar. And if you need to, editing these addresses is but a matter of pulling the settings tab out (bottom left corner).

Salamander jumping ability has a surprising twist

An analysis of the physics of how salamanders jump reveals a "new way to get vertical lift for animals," according to a researcher who presented the findings at a biology symposium.

Anthony Hessel, a graduate student with Northern Arizona University, describes the high-flying manoeuvres of the tiny, slender amphibians as a "hip-twist jump" that's unique in the animal world.

Source: Here

Why Sloths Leave the Trees to Poop

Sloths are the quintessential couch potatoes of the rainforest, and these sluggish tree-dwellers also serve as a hotel for moths and algae.

Three-toed sloths descend from the trees once a week to defecate, providing a breeding ground for moths that live in the animals' fur and nourishing gardens of algae that supplement the sloths' diet, new research finds. Leaving the trees burns energy and makes sloths easy prey for predators, but the benefits of a richer diet appear to be worth the perils.

Source: Here

UQ discovery makes finding Nemo easier

Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered how a species of squid perceives distance, providing an evolutionary solution to a problem divers regularly encounter in featureless waters.

Scientists from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute studied how Sepioteuthis lessoniana, more commonly known as the bigfin reef squid, overcome blurred vision due to a retinal bump caused by their brains pushing against their eyes.

Source: Here

Brazil dolphin is first new river species since 1918

Scientists in Brazil have discovered the first new river dolphin species since the end of World War One.

Named after the Araguaia river where it was found, the species is only the fifth known of its kind in the world.

Source: Here

Sharks and Rays in Danger

In the first global analysis of its kind, an international team of researchers found that of the 1,041 species of cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyans) investigated, 25 species are critically endangered, 43 are endangered, 113 are vulnerable, and 132 species are “near threatened.” That’s a total of 30 percent of the species analyzed; for 487 of the remaining species, there was insufficient data to classify the threat.

“Overall chondrichthyan extinction risk is substantially higher than for most other vertebrates, and only one-third of species are considered safe,” the authors wrote in their report, published this week (January 21) in eLife.

Source: Here

Top Smartphone Apps for Salespeople

Since productivity is the mantra of sales, you may want to gear up and get yourself the best sales apps for your smartphone – be it of the i-series or those of the Android kind. Assuming you are one of those salespeople who “works doubly hard” to achieve quota and enjoy the price of success: your commission.

Surprisingly, many of these apps do not come at a hefty price; but these can definitely get you going – granting you make them available on your fave smartphone. Perhaps in the near future, tablets will be the ultimate method of staying connected for a salesman and putting your iPad on one of those suitable ipad keyboard cases may be more popular than ever.

For those who may be wondering, these apps are also available for the recently-launched, most sought-after iPhone. We wish we could say the same for those Blackberry gadgets.

1 and 2. Kindle and Cloud Player. Improvement is the name of the game. For a trusted salesman, getting yourself in top form  could invaluably mean feeding your mind. Not a problem with these two apps. Kindle gives you access to throngs and throngs of books. While Cloud Player gives you unlimited access to your cloud drive. Information when you need it most.

3. Hopstop. If you travel from city to city, these app will get you to your destination fastest. Giving you needed transportation details (e.g., train stops) can save you time to do what is most relevant: filling orders. Be it in the subways of New York, which can be the most challenging, to any major city in the U.S., Hopstop guides you step by step.

4. Xpenser. No need to pour yourself on weekends trying to reconcile all your expenses. Xpenser does this for you – on the go. The good thing is the app stores the data in the cloud, which can then be integrated into your company’s accounting systems. Of course, it is wise to drop a visit to the finance department before you get your thing going for best results.

5. Square. If sales is like mining gold, the Square app could be your magic tool. No need of the long process of invoicing, collecting and all the unnecessary paper work or waiting. Get the payment ASAP via Square. With this app, your customer can swipe his/her credit card right then and there. Imagine all the hassle that it takes away: no need chasing down the dough. It’s heaven-sent, to be honest.

6. Evernote. Here’s a convenient way of taking down notes when it matters most. Just tap your smartphone and get those vital info on record. The good thing: in seconds you can view it on your PC, make changes and view these changes on your smartphone. Everything is saved online. And if you feel wary of tapping your phone, just activate your smartphone’s voice recognition and get those important conversations recorded.

7. Google Maps. Don’t underestimate this app, this guy gets you around. Just a tap on your phone and voila you’d know the whole countryside in seconds. This is very useful for sales people who do not want to waste time to get around and get to the decision-maker in record speed. From the swamplands of Florida to an ice cream bar in California. Right on the dot.

8. Companion Link. Information is power. And Companion Link makes sure you get vital information when you need it most. Companion Link synchronizes data from one CRM or contact manager to another in your smartphone. Very useful when you need to pull out a phone number or check those appointments out. Of course, getting you more updated with your client’s data gets you closer to a closed sale.
Truly, effectivity is the name of the game. And though these may still be far from replacing the mouth as a salesman’s primary tool, these apps do make sure your message gets across faster, and is absorbed better – like water to dry ground.