Google Local now on your Mobile Phone
The Google Local for Mobile Phones service offers the following features:
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Detailed directions: Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.
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Integrated search results: Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.
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Easily movable maps: Interactive, draggable maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.
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Satellite imagery: Get a bird’s eye view of your desired location.
”We know local information is a big deal for our users,” said Deep Nishar, Google’s director of product management. “Text results for a search are fine, but sometimes you need to use a map to orient yourself.”
In addition to maps, Google Local for Mobile includes driving and walking directions, search results, business locations, contact names, and even call access by clicking the provided link.
This sounds like the perfect app, particularly if you regularly find yourself in new places, either for meetings, or socially. However, there are two drawbacks that I can foresee that may initially hurt its adoption:
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Navigation speed - Google maps provides a fairly comprehensive set of information. To get the most out of it, users need to be able to navigate it quickly. This is fine on the web, but the small form factor of the mobile phone may mean navigating too many menus to find what you want, which may be simply too slow and tedious to be effective.
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Cost - Mobile phone companies are currently charging notoriously high rates for data at the moment. It’s likely that effective navigation of the Google Local for mobile service will require a lot of expensive data.
This service does seem a fantastic use of a mobile phone and of Google Local, though. I really hope Google can pull it off, and I think given time (and a reduction in the costs of mobile data), they will. The perfect fusion of the web and mobile phones just took another step closer to reality. All we need now is to add GPS to the mix, and the marvellous wonder-gadget of so much science-fiction will be upon us. The 21st Century has arrived at last - now, where are all the jet-cars we were promised?!
