Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 - in the Marketplace now

Searching with Google on your Windows Phone 7 device just got easier. The Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 provides quick and convenient access to a rich set of search results, allowing you to search the web, images, local, news, and more.

This initial release of the Google Search app includes several features that help you to search faster - suggestions appear automatically as you type, you can choose to repeat a query from your search history, and your current location is used to provide more relevant results.

The Google Search app is a free download for all Windows Phone 7 devices and languages. Just search the Marketplace for “Google Search”, download, pin to Start, and the power of Google Search is only a click away.

Update: we have flipped the switch for the app to go live, but it doesn't seem the app is showing up everywhere just yet.

Movember Earth

Invented in 1999 by a group of Australians, the Movember Foundation fights to raise awareness and funds for a variety of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer. The word "Movember" is a combination of "Moustache" and "November"; growing a moustache during November is essentially the trademark symbol of the group.

GEB reader 'Damien' is a participant in the event, and decide to help give it a bit of promotion. Similar to our Halloween tradition of turning Google Earth into a pumpkin, Damien turned the earth in a giant smiley face with a moustache!

You can download the model from the Google 3D Warehouse or download the KML directly.

You can learn more about the Movember Foundation at movember.com.

Virtual Tours with Google Maps

youVR

YouVR is a website that allows you to build embeddable virtual tours using photographs, videos and Google Maps.

Using youVR it is possible to create an online tour consisting of a Google Map with interactive hotspots that include photographs and/or videos. When you have created a tour you can an embed it in a website or blog by cutting and pasting a short piece of code.

You can also browse other users' tours on the Most Recently Added page on youVR.

Remembering WWII with Google Maps

Second World War Casualty Map

Just in time for Remembrance Day Patrick Cain has released this Google Map commemorating the 3,224 Torontonians who died in World War II.

During the Second World War Toronto kept a file of typed index cards at the city clerk’s office of soldiers killed in action or at German prisoner of war camps. The cards fill 12 boxes. Patrick has spent over 55 hours digitising the records and then geocoding the records to the homes listed as the next-of-kin address of those killed.

The result is this Google Map of Toronto residents killed in the war. The poppy shaped map markers indicate addresses. Where two or more people were killed in a household a number is displayed to show how many.

Patrick Cain has written a post on Open File called Remembering Toronto's Fallen from World War II. The post explores his reasons and methods for creating the map.

World War Two Timeline Project

The World War Two Timeline Project is an interesting attempt to chronologically and geographically, map the events of World War Two using the open source Simile Timeline. Using the map it is possible to view the major events of World War Two on a Google Map.

You can use the timeline, at the top of the map, to plot the progress of the war on the map. It is also possible to navigate the events of the war via tags. These tags include countries as well as subjects such as naval, aerial and land. The map creators say they have not finished adding data, so this map should become an even more useful resource over time.

Declassified Military Aerial Images Map

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monument of Scotland are busy mapping declassified military aerial photographs on Google Maps.

The Aerial Reconnaissance Archives have millions of military reconnaissance images of locations throughout the world declassified by the UK Ministry of Defence. The archives range from Second World War Allied and German Luftwaffe reconnaissance photographs to Cold War imagery.

To date RCAHMS have mapped reconnaissance photographs in Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Using Google Maps to display the photographs means that users can compare the present day satellite view of locations with reconnaissance images from the past (mostly from World War II).

Turkey Google Maps Mashups Round-Up

Haritadan.com

This Google Maps application allows you to search for real-estate in Turkey. The map displays free adverts for real estate rentals/sales as well as room mate searches.

The properties available are displayed directly on the map. If you click on one of the displayed map markers you can view photographs of the property. At the top of the map a drop-down menu provides quick links to zoom to different Turkish towns.

Drop-down menus at the top of the map also allow you to refine your search for particular types of property and to search for specific addresses.

Currently the map doesn't work in Internet Explorer.

Mekanrazzi

Mekanrazzi is a Google Maps based directory for Turkey. Using the map you can search for local businesses anywhere in the country.

Using the built-in search you can find points of information at any location. For example, you can search for pizza restaurants in Istanbul. The results of your search are then displayed in the map sidebar and the locations are shown on the map.

Sondeprem.net

Sondeprem.net has created an embeddable widget that shows the latest Turkish earthquake news on a Google Map. By cutting and pasting a short piece of code you can add the map to your own website or blog.

The map itself animates through the latest earthquake news in Turkey. Map markers show the location of the news and a short headline is displayed at the bottom of the map.

The latest earthquake results are automatically updated on the map in real-time.

News Timelines on Google Maps

TimeSpace: World

The Washington Post's TimeSpace: World compiles all the world news content from The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com, PostGlobal, Foreign Policy magazine, and partner sites including The Associated Press and Reuters onto one customizable map.

All the news coverage is collected into clusters around hot-spots on the map. By clicking a cluster, users can view articles, blog posts, photos, videos, and even reporter's Twitter feeds. A timeline at the bottom of the map illustrates peaks in coverage and allows users to customize news searches to a specific day all the way down to a particular hour.

TimeSpace: World is also available in widget form so users can embed the map on their own sites. In addition, a share function creates a unique URL for an individual story within the map that users can link to or send to friends.

ITN Story Map

ITN is using Google Maps with the SIMILE Timeline to display the world's news.

Using the timeline above the map it is possible to view today's news or to scroll back and view past news items from ITN geotagged on a Google Map. It is possible to filter the news shown by world, sport, entertainment or business.

The mapped news stories include photographs or videos and contain links to view the full story on the ITN website.