As I am no doubt the last person to point out, Google Maps has added a street level view to (a few) urban areas. It’s the first Google app (besides Picasa) that I’m aware of that requires Flash, but it’s also (as fellow Be alumnus pixelknave points out) the first Google app to feature the Be Man:
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| Fig. 1. The BeOS Man. | Fig. 2. The Google Maps Man. |
I guess it was only a matter of time, given that there are so many Be alums at Google now. I figured I’d send him home after all this time away (screenshot).
Update: The Google Maps Man now has his own instructional video.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Well, he doesn’t have his usual silver head, so it’s not quite him. An Asian relative, maybe?
May 30th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Google Finance also requires Flash, which causes no end of grief amongst the Linux folks (e.g. everyone) here.. How did I never find out that you used to work at Be?
May 30th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
When I used BeOS and a Psion Series 5 I used a replacement for the Psion system application that had a very BeOS look and feel. It was a bit disconcerting how much the developer had ripped-off the icons. Screenshot available at
It probably goes beyond homage!
May 31st, 2007 at 9:16 am
I think we lost your link, there.
(As I recall, our general counsel spent a good deal of time hunting down people stealing the axonometric icons from BeOS.)
May 31st, 2007 at 4:19 pm
http://www.corisoft.net/?Symbian_products:DCP
If this fails just Google for ‘corisoft software DCP’
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:22 am
DanVK: I don’t know, you never asked? Yeah, I was there at the end.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:07 am
LoTechTrackback: OSNews link.
June 6th, 2007 at 10:39 am
[…] Dan Sandler points out that Google Street View (which is mind blowing both in its power and its privacy implications) is not only one of the few Google apps to require Flash, it’s also “the first Google app to feature the Be Man:” […]
June 6th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
It’s definitely the Be man. I work at Google now, and I damn near fell over when I saw a bunch of people wearing (promotion) t-shirts sporting an even more isometric and Be-like icon of the little man. That icon style was a hell of a hit, huh?