There are over 60 Google APIs across a wide range of products and
technologies. The AJAX APIs include Google Search, Language, Maps, FriendConnect, and
Visualization APIs. The team recently launched v2 of the AJAX
APIs Playground, an app designed to show interactive code samples for some of our
coolest Javascript APIs. The Google Data APIs provide a simple standard protocol for
reading and writing data on the web and are used by many products including YouTube, Calendar, Picasa Web Albums, and as of last week, Analytics.
Google I/O will feature many
sessions covering the AJAX and Google Data APIs. Here are a few of the
developers who'll be leading sessions and/or demoing at the Developer Sandbox:
Redfin Redfin is an online brokerage site for
buying and selling homes. Redfin uses the Google Maps, Charts, and Feeds APIs. Redfin actively
talks about the behind-the-scenes development decisions, which can be found at the Redfin
Developer Blog. (For example, they blogged about why they switched
to the Google Maps API) Sasha Aickin, Engineering Manager, will be speaking on a
session called Performance Tips for Geo API Mashups.
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is
known by travelers for producing informed and honest travel advice. Lonely Planet uses the
Google Maps Javascript API to power interactive maps on lonelyplanet.com, the Google Static
Maps API on its cross-device mobile site, m.lonelyplanet.com, and OpenSocial, App Engine, and
Android in products soon to be launched. Ken Hoetmer, Lonely Planet's neogeographer in
residence, will be speaking on a session called Maps APIs &
Mobile.
Adobe Introduced with Adobe Creative
Suite 4, Adobe Community Help utilizes Google Custom Search (a product which also supports the AJAX
APIs) to aggregate the most relevant help content from the broader community. By integrating
search directly within the application workflow, users can find answers to their software
questions no matter where those answers may be found. Currently, Adobe is exploring ways of
expanding Custom Search to include code samples directly within Adobe development environments
for products like Flash and Flex. (Read Adobe's blog post about Adobe Community Help)
LuckyCal LuckyCal is a calendaring
application which utilizes several of the Google Data APIs to create a dynamic calendar
experience. They authenticate using OAuth to retrieve data from the Calendar and Contacts Data
APIs. Based on where you'll be, who you know and what you like, LuckyCal finds events that are
relevant to you. LuckyCal has also created a Google Gadget and uses the Maps API (both for UI
and for Geocoding) extensively.
Eye.fi The
Eye-Fi Card stores photos & videos like a traditional memory card, and fits in most
cameras. When you turn your camera on within range of a configured Wi-Fi network, it
wirelessly transfers your photos & videos to either your computer or services like
YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, etc via the YouTube and Picasa Web Albums Data
APIs.
Vast Rank Vast Rank is a college ranking
website that utilizes the Google Maps API in their interactive ranking map (where visitors see
rankings based on what is in view on the map). With the Client Location API, Vast Rank’s
personalization engine can weigh the visitor’s location into the criteria used to suggest
interesting colleges to the visitor. Vast Rank creator Jon Kragh will be leading a session, Using AJAX APIs to Navigate User-Generated
Content.
280 North 280 North's application,
280 Slides, enables users to easily create web-based presentations. With the AJAX Search API
and Google Data APIs, 280 Slides builds in the ability to search Google for images and YouTube
for videos and drag media directly into a presentation. 280 North is also the creator of
Cappuccino, an open source JavaScript-based web development framework. Check out co-founder
Ross Boucher's videos where he talks about 280 Slides'
implementation.
Finally, a friendly reminder that early (discounted)
registration for Google I/O ends this Friday, May 1. Visit code.google.com/io to sign up and learn more about
sessions and demos that'll be in store this year.
