Shelly Palmer Radio Report – March 17, 2014

Spring is almost here, but if you feel trapped in a winterscape and need to get to somewhere warmer, head over to Google Maps. Google recently released a ton of “Street View” images of the Hawaiian Islands as part of its Trekker Loan program. Google’s Trekker, which was first shown off two years ago, is a wearable backpack that houses a camera system with more than a dozen 5 megapixel lenses, allowing for 360 degree images. Google loaned the Trekker cameras to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, and the team just released its first set of images, which features plenty of shots of Hawaiian beaches, trails and other sights. These images came from the first partnership in the Trekker Loan program, which Google plans to open up to more organizations in the future. Google Trends says that searches for “Hawaii” have nearly doubled in the last month, right in the middle of a particularly brutal winter. Being stuck in a wintery New York never felt so tropical.