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Google Local Goes Mobile
bigtallmofo writes "Google has added a mobile version of their local-search service to their lineup of mobile applications available from devices equipped with XHTML-enabled browsers. Previously available mobile Google applications include their mobile web and image search and their SMS service (beta) that allows users to enter their search queries and receive results via a text message. The day of receiving unsolicited coupons for your next latte as you walk by a Starbucks is one step closer."
The map is tiny on my Treo. It's surrounded by a huge amount of white space. I wish there was an option to have a larger map. Zooming in doesn't help.
It's a pity that most 3G phones that are offered these days (at least in the UK) are restricting surfing to the service provider's homepage.
Are you sure about that? Last time I had internet on my phone, the home page did take me to my provider's homepage. *However*, there was also an obscure menu item (called "Location", I think) that allowed me to type in a web address. It was a pain in the ass to type in, but it did work.
In any case, this is an SMS service, not a WAP service. Unless your provider only allows you to send them text messages (yuck), you can query Google by texting them.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
google text messaging rules! i use it all the time and wish i could thank them for all the time they've saved me.
Excuse my speling.
Making The Bar Project
... that you have a good text message plan, because personally I don't see the benefit on searching via my cell phone just to be charged $.10 for information. Especially since the text message has to be 160 characters or shorter. I'll get 100 replies and only 3 of them may be relevant costing me more than it would be to just drive to a public terminal.
I don't know about all cell phone plans but most of the ones I have been under have free *in bound* SMS. So it's really irrelevant how many relevant replies you get from Google as long as you are only sending a single search string out.
Public terminals that I have seen run a couple dollars for an hour (if you don't have your own machine to do wireless with) and sometimes require a purchase at the store you are in.
YMMV.
Not quite. Most (if not all, I don't know) phones on the 3 network restrict you to their own walled garden.
However, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange networks give you access to the whole internet. I don't know about O2 but I'm sure someone else can confirm what the status with them is.
Given this, the fact they have less base stations than T-Mobile and the switch from 3G to 2.5G is often reported as more problematic rather than seamless - I'd recommend switching to a better network.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
T-Mobile generally charges for both incoming and outgoing SMS messages...
We maintain a database of locations labelled by keywords. As a user, you can create search lists containing the keywords you want to find. Then the software looks for every place nearby which is labelled by a keyword in your active search list. Simple. The keywords attached to locations are picked by the proprietors themselves, so as a business you're not at the mercy of a relevance-scoring algorithm.
And it's all free to the user, including pan/zoom maps of the entire US to take with you.
We're really just getting started, so the service has several known (big) issues. To wit:
It's Palm-only
Not much commercial data (right now, it's mostly historic, civic, and geographic points of interest)
Our coverage area is limited to the US
It's not "over the airwaves" -- you have to download map and location data to your PC, then sync to your device (we offer a utility which helps)
Missing lots of little features, niceties (at this point, our enhancements list is a mile long)
;-) If your thing is photography, create a group marking great spots to take a photo. If you like hiking, mark the hiking trail heads in your area. Solicit others to join and do the same, and pretty soon there's a whole world of locations relevant to your area of interest that you never even knew were there. Anyway, I think it could be cool. It just needs people.
We also have a non-commercial offering which I think is really unique, and that's Earthcomber Community . It's like Yahoo Groups, but it's location-based. Our groups let you drop points on the maps, which you can then download and take with you. Or just view them on the web (no handheld required to use Community).
Again, we're brand new, so there aren't tons of groups. But you could start one today!
OK, I'll stop pimping. But since what we are doing is relevant to your point, I thought I'd toss our hat in the ring.
Regards,
Chris
I used the service with a Palm Tungsten T3 through a Nokia 6310i via Cingular.
Short version:
Works great. Wish I had it years ago.
The maps need to be larger to be useful on a 320x400 screen.
The layout of the page could be optimized a bit. The Google logo at the top pushes data too far down. Google should either shrink the logo or relocate it.
Long version:
I've been looking for a service like this for a long time. I tried Avantgo for a while but it was cumbersome, and of limited use if you needed to find info on the fly. MapQuest allows you to download maps and directions using Avantgo but it doesn't work as well as Google Local.
I've alread mentioned my main criticisms of Google Local. It gives a map but seems targeted at 160x160 screens. (understandably) A larger map option would be nice as the maps are a little small to be genuinely useful IMO. You can zoom in/out and scroll around via buttons. Not as smooth as the regular Google Maps but perfectly adequate for on the road. Driving directions are always available and work great. Once you've located what you are looking for you simply select driving directions and enter your From: address. Simple and logical and it works pretty much exactly as you expect it to.
Speed of the service is fine. I have a GPRS connection (not EDGE) which isn't speedy but download speeds were satisfactory. If you have a Treo or a Tungsten type device (like me) you should have no trouble finding regular uses for the service.