It's time for Google to rename its Street View feature. Google Maps' Street View is no longer limited to streets, the company is now using tricycles to photograph off-road locations like the gardens at the San Diego Art Institute or Château de Chenonceaux in Civray-de-Touraine, France.
Google has been using the modified trikes – which house a 360° panoramic camera much like the setup on the Street View cars, but smaller and lighter – since 2009. Google previously released imagery the trikes captured in places like Stonehenge and Sea World.
Combine the latest update with Google's previous release of Street View inside buildings and it isn't hard to imagine that, in the future, Street View may well be in your living room.
In fact, you may be the one who puts Street View in your living room. Last year Google acquired Quiksee, an app that takes normal video input and produces video tours – much like Street View, but with no special camera required. Although Google has made no announcements since the acquisition, it's not hard to imagine the company releasing some software that allows anyone to create Street View-like images of, well, just about anywhere.
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