Boston

New Scientist reports that Google is now using Street View cars to detect methane leaks from corroded pipes, landfill sites and other sources.

Sensors strapped to the top of the cars have mapped hundreds of methane leaks around Boston, New York’s Staten Island and Indianapolis […]

Methane leaks are a triple threat: they can cause explosions, accelerate the growth of global warming and waste money. A study last year found that US methane emissions are 1.5 to 1.7 times higher than current estimates, a discrepancy that has been attributed to hard-to-detect leaks …

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In an announcement shared on Google’s Enterprise blog by Boston’s chief information officer, the city has announced it will officially migrate some 76,000 city employees, police officers, teachers, and students to using Google Apps and email services from a variety of alternative systems including Microsoft Exchange.

The Boston official noted the city’s success in adopting Google Apps, particularly for boston.gov email addresses for every city official, due to the minimal effort in maintaining the system thanks to Google’s existing and scaling infrastructure.
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Google has been signing up a lot of Google Apps for Government customers over the last year, including Colorado and the US Naval Academy, and today The Boston Globe reports that Boston is soon making the switch from Microsoft to a Google Apps environment for city employees.

As noted in the report, Boston was previously relying on Microsoft’s Exchange for much of its tasks and making the switch to Google will save the city around $280,000 a year:

It’s not just the gee whiz factor: It’s also a matter of money. It will cost Boston around $800,000 to move over to Gmail, Google Docs for word processing, and Google’s cloud service for storing documents. But by dropping some Microsoft products, the city government will save at least $280,000 a year.

Microsoft responded to the decision in a statement to the Boston Globe, claiming, “Google’s investments in these areas are inadequate, and they lack the proper protections most organizations require.”
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You probably know by now that Verizon has finally begun selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $299 on a two year plan, or you can grab it for $199 on Amazon now. Early reviews are positive, to say the least. Despite Samsung’s persistent Apple-bashing, mostly poking fun at long lines that form on iPhone launch day, they might not be able to keep it up with BGR reporting lines are already starting to form at Verizon stores in Boston and elsewhere.  And this only 12 hours after the device was officially announced.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wwct7AvRuB4]

There certainly isn’t the frenzy of excitement that usually accompanies a new iPhone or iPad launch, but it’s still a good sign that the Galaxy Nexus might be the first Android device to create somewhat of a cult following similar to Apple’s handsets. We’re sure Samsung isn’t too upset about the lines… Another shot via Phandroid below:

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