Google Maps

Google on Saturday released its first satellite images of Japan since the devastation that followed a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the island nation Friday afternoon local time. The images, from Google partner GeoEye, were generated by the IKONOS satellite. Google Earth users may view images from Kamaishi, located to the north of Sendai, an area extremely hard hit by the quake and tsunami. In the images, taken Saturday morning, Kamaishi is somewhat obscured by cloud clover.

Is Facebook feeling lucky in search? The social networking giant on the verge of a $100-billion initial public stock offering is working to improve its search product, reports Bloomberg BusinessWeek . Former Google engineer Lars Rasmussen is leading a team of two dozen engineers trying to make it easier to sort through the mind-numbing volume of content that users create. A more powerful search engine could pay off for Facebook. It could keep users on the site longer and it could sell keyword ads alongside search results like Google does.

Smartphones equipped with GPS-enabled location tracking technology have made it easier to let friends and family know where you're eating or shopping. The technology can also be a handy tool for parents on Halloween. Although it might seem spooky for kids, a handful of apps will allow parents to receive timely data on where their children are, and possibly deter the youngsters from wandering too far away. Google Latitude: Offered as both a separate app and as an opt-in feature that's part of the free Google Maps app, Latitude enables users to share their location with friends or family members.

Joshua Tree National Park , 74485 National Park Drive., Twentynine Palms; (760) 367-5500, http://www.nps.gov/jotr. Entrance fee $15 per car for up to seven days. Crossroads Café , 61715 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree; (760) 366-5414, http://www.crossroadscafejtree.com . Breakfast, lunch, dinner. All less than $10. Ricochet Gourmet , 61705 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree; (760) 366-1898, http://www.ricochetjoshuatree.com . Main dishes $8-$10.

Google is bringing its mapping technology to the great indoors. With the launch of Google Maps 6.0 on Tuesday, users of mobile devices running Android OS 2.1 and up will have the ability to use Google Maps not just to get directions to an Ikea, Macy's or one of several airports but also to figure out how to find housewares, ATMs and their airline boarding gates. Google's inside mapping will work like its outside mapping. A little blue dot will move along with users to show where they are, and the technology is even able to know what floor they are on — what Steve Lee, director of product management for Google, called "the third dimension of mapping.

After a long wait and more than 50,000 signatures on an online petition, cyclists will be happy to know that Google Inc. has finally added bicycle routes to Google Maps. In Google Maps, users can now find "Bicycling" in the tool's "Get Directions" drop-down box. After choosing the option, bikers can input two addresses and find the bike route that will get them to their destination. The mapping tool provides turn-by-turn directions and an estimated travel time. The new Google Maps bicycling feature is available in 150 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

A knife sharpening truck parked outside of O.J. Simpson's old Brentwood address tops the list of curiosities captured in Google Inc.'s street-level photographs of Southern California. Others include unflattering snapshots of passers-by, a woman gazing out her window in Encinitas and a sea gull above La Jolla caught mid-flight dropping a surprise below.

Tired of getting bad directions? Google Maps, Google's popular mapping and driving directions tool, is letting users correct its maps, Wikipedia-style. The new map feature is part of a larger effort to exploit the collective knowledge of those who visit Google, the most frequently used search engine. Since last week, users with Google accounts have been able to move the small green arrows that pinpoint addresses on its maps.

Google Inc. on Tuesday started offering printable discount coupons to local shoppers in a bid to drive online shoppers using its Google Maps service to visit stores. The world's top Web search operation is taking advantage of the marketing tool, which is traditionally used by small businesses, to entice U.S. consumers to seek out savings from local retailers such as dry cleaners, pizza restaurants and auto repair shops. Mountain View, Calif.

The good folk of Broughton don't take kindly to being photographed without permission. Just ask Google. When the search-engine giant sent one of its specially equipped cars to take pictures of the village for its Street View feature, residents swung into action. They stopped the car in its tracks, called the police and quizzed the bewildered driver for nearly two hours before letting him go. "I don't think this guy anticipated how angry people would get," said Edward Butler-Ellis, 28. "We didn't stand there with pitchforks or anything and block the road with bales of hay, but obviously people were agitated.

WHERE TO STAY Magic Castle Hotel, 7025 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles 90028; (323) 851-0800, http://www.magiccastlehotel.com . Thirty units, most of them one- and two-bedroom suites, 500-800 square feet, with full kitchens. Pool, free WiFi. Doubles from $194. Also receives guests for its sibling, the Hollywood Hills Hotel, same address; (323) 874-5089, http://www.hollywoodhillshotel.com , just up the hill. Ten rooms, pagoda-adjacent pool, free WiFi. Rates $134-$164.The rates are low for Hollywood, the Trip Advisor ratings for service are sky high, and the only real drawback is a complicated parking situation for the Hollywood Hills Hotel.

Can you safely talk on a cellphone — or for that matter, check your email or scroll through Google Maps — while driving? Well, of course you can. But those other folks with their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road are a public menace. Unfortunately, that sums up the attitude of many American motorists, who widely acknowledge using their phones while behind the wheel but insist they're safe drivers. Meanwhile, the number of people worried about the other guy is soaring.

Google is bringing its mapping technology to the great indoors. With the launch of Google Maps 6.0 on Tuesday, users of mobile devices running Android OS 2.1 and up will have the ability to use Google Maps not just to get directions to an Ikea, Macy's or one of several airports but also to figure out how to find housewares, ATMs and their airline boarding gates. Google's inside mapping will work like its outside mapping. A little blue dot will move along with users to show where they are, and the technology is even able to know what floor they are on — what Steve Lee, director of product management for Google, called "the third dimension of mapping.

WHERE TO STAY Langham Huntington Pasadena, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106; (626) 568-3900, http://www.pasadena.langhamhotels.com . Twenty-three acres, 380 rooms, each at least 415 square feet. Building dates to 1907. Doubles from $189. Arroyo Vista Inn, 335 Monterey Road, South Pasadena, CA 91030; (323) 478-7300, http://www.arroyvistainn.com . Nine rooms in a well-appointed hillside 1910 Craftsman house, atop a long, narrow driveway. Not set up for kids.

WHERE TO STAY Farmer's Daughter, 115 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles 90036; (800) 334-1658 or (323) 937-3930, http://www.farmersdaughterhotel.com . 66 rooms. Doubles, $189-$269, more for the three suites. Adjoins Tart restaurant. London West Hollywood 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd.; West Hollywood90069; (310) 854-1111, http://www.thelondonwesthollywood.com . Just below the Sunset Strip. 200 rooms (the hotel calls them all "suites"), each at least 750 square feet. (There's a guy on staff whose job is brushing smooth the suede walls in the public areas.

Smartphones equipped with GPS-enabled location tracking technology have made it easier to let friends and family know where you're eating or shopping. The technology can also be a handy tool for parents on Halloween. Although it might seem spooky for kids, a handful of apps will allow parents to receive timely data on where their children are, and possibly deter the youngsters from wandering too far away. Google Latitude: Offered as both a separate app and as an opt-in feature that's part of the free Google Maps app, Latitude enables users to share their location with friends or family members.

Google Maps has added traffic updates to many of the Southland's major streets, allowing motorists with smart phones to get off the freeway and find a speedier route home. The new traffic information covers urban centers in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. To view traffic info, click the "Traffic" button on the upper right of the Google Maps window. Google Maps imports much of its real-time traffic information from companies that monitor the nation's roadways. But it's adding a high-tech twist: crowd-sourcing.

With an upgrade to its mobile maps, Google Inc. hopes to prove it can track people on the go as effectively as it searches for information on the Internet. The software released Wednesday will enable cellphone users to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends. The feature, dubbed Latitude, expands on a tool introduced in 2007 that allows mobile phone users to check their own location on a Google map with the press of a button.

WHERE TO STAY Montage Beverly Hills Hotel, 225 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills 90210; (310) 860-7800, http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com . Opened in November, 2008 with 201 rooms, including 55 suites. Doubles $525-$775. Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills 92010; (310) 276-2251, http://www.beverlyhillshotel.com . 210 rooms, including 38 suites and 23 bungalows. Double rooms $475-$840. Mosaic Hotel, 125 Spalding Drive, Beverly Hills 90212; (800)

WHERE TO STAY The Beach House at Hermosa Beach, 1300 the Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254; (310) 374-3001, http://www.beach-house.com . Ninety-six rooms, each with fireplace and balcony or patio. Rooms for two $229-$349 in winter, $299-$489 in summer. Shade Hotel, 1221 N. Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; (310) 546-4995, http://www.shadehotel.com . Thirty-eight rooms, a small pool and restaurant, Zinc. Two blocks from the beach. Rooms for two $275 in winter, $365 in summer, with occasional Sunday-night discounts to $225.