Prime Time For WebGL: Google Maps Gets an Upgrade
So far, WebGL has not had a mainstream application. While we knew that it could make graphics look much smoother on a screen, provided you use a browser that supports WebGL.
Starting today, there is a popular application available in WebGL - Google maps - and there are a few things you can do now with Chrome that you can't do with IE.
To activate Google Maps in WebGL, open Google Maps and check an option to "try something new" on the left bottom of the screen. I only noticed this note when I opened Maps with Chrome, but Firefox should prompt you as well, according to Google (for some reason, I could not get Firefox to run the Maps WebGL version). If you are using IE, you won't be able to try WebGL Maps, because there is no support for WebGL in IE.
Once activated, you can see WebGL in action in the 45-degree angled view, for example when you view the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. There is a new feature to rotate the view, which can be accessed right above the Streetview figure. Rotating is still limited to four views, but the animation now makes changing views appear much smoother. You can also enable Streetview, which is now support natively and not via plug-in. The rotate feature also works in Streetview.
Other than that, there is no other benefit; I could not quite confirm Google's claim of higher image quality. If you are taking MapsGL out for a spin, be sure to view Google's guided tour, which provides a quick overview of the features and how they can be controlled. What struck me, was that, in direct comparison with IE and the non-WebGL version of Maps, there is really not that much of a difference. Sure, the adjusted 45-degree view isn't animated, but IE9 is, at least on my PC, the far better browser to use maps. Dragging and zooming maps is much smoother in Microsoft's browser than in the WebGL version of Maps in Chrome.
MapsGL, as Google calls, is nice to have, but it's not a must have that will scare Microsoft enough to convince the company to build WebGL into IE.
- ViewSonic's 9-inch ViewPad 10e Priced at £199.99
- £110 Galaxy Y Smartphone Hits Vodafone
- Father of "C" Programming Language Dies at 70
- Backify Offers 512 GB Free Online Backup Storage
- Flooding in Thailand Disrupts Tech Supply Chain
- Intel Sues Over "Intel" Trademark Infringement
- Microsoft Signs Patent Licensing Deal With Quanta
- Gartner: Lenovo Now 2nd-Largest Worldwide PC Vendor
- First Sky 3D Content Arrives on the Nintendo 3DS
- Canonical Releases Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot
- Report: First AMD 28nm GPU Due in December
- Nvidia Announces 3D Vision 2 With New Hardware
- A Carrying Case to Fit Your LAN Party Needs
- Blizzard Auctioning World of Warcraft Server Hardware
- Toshiba Intros 2.5" HDDs with 15K RPM Spindle Speed
- Skype Officially Belongs to Microsoft Now
- Extend HDMI With Ethernet Cables Up To 330 ft
- GPU-Accelerated Opera 12 Alpha Available for Download
If you use Chrome and you get the "your computer does not meet the system performance requirements for MapsGL" message, try the "Override software rendering list" fix as described here -
http://www.skipser.com/p/2/p/googl [...] apsgl.html