Local Search with Google Earth on the iPhone!
Google just released one of their most popular products, Google Earth, with over 400 million downloads for the iPhone! It’s a free download from the iTunes App store and it also features the My Location feature. Local Search information with Google Earth right on your iPhone! The iPhone seems to be a perfect device for navigating Google Earth as well using the tilt/gyro sensors.
There is a button in the application that will find businesses directly located near you. Even the more reason for Small Business Owners to get their business listed in the Local Business Center.
Remember, the iphone is a very popular phone so plenty of opportunities/new clients waiting to find your business!
Download the application in the App store.
Video after the break!
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Google Mobile Search now gets more local
OK, officially it’s not available for people outside US and UK, although comments on the announcement by Google have said it’s available in other countries as well. But Google Mobile Search now has gotten more local. Where at first, or before, you were able to receive ‘locally relevant results’ based on your IP address or sometimes your postal code, you are now able to get them using the MyLocation feature on windows mobile phones. It uses the Google Gears Geolocation API, as seen in Google Maps mobile. Your location is pinpointed with help of Cell-IDs. The results are shown in the form of universal search results as Greg Sterling pointed out in his article on Search Engine Land.
I’ve already seen, depending on your operator/service provider, that the accuracy can be within 200 meters. Which I believe opens up enormous possibilities for small businesses providing local results. Even more reason to start optimizing your website and adding your data to the local business center!
Location-based services now hotter than hot?
Location-based services are hot. Now hotter than before. Because Google just launched their Geolocation API.
This is what you can call the pre-web3.0 era. Small startups trying to provide even the smallest semantic web like services online. Providing location-based services, opening up their programming code, Developing APIs for the developers to use and create even greater software by mashing up code of several services.
Now with Google opening up their geolocation API it opens new possibilities. Apparently they’ve gathered quite some data by now from CellIDs and GPS devices to have a database that is consistent enough to provide these kind of services. They also state that they will provide more services in the near future based on WiFi access.
What does this mean in general for software or services we are going to see?
Well imagine opening up your browser or software application on your mobile phone or laptop and do a search for restaurants. No need to fill in where you are, the software will determine this using the geolocation API.
Most phones nowadays are able to determine the Cell ID, the ‘zone’ you are in with your mobile phone. No GPS needed. Although it’s not as accurate of course. It should do the trick while looking for a restaurant or any nearby service.
Now let’s combine this, do a mashup and make it all context-aware; context-awareness is a topic I’ve been working on during my internship at the Netherlands institute for applied scientific research.
You are hungry, it’s around 7pm, all your appointments for this business trip are done it’s just that entry in your calendar left with some old friends of yours.
Your mobile or wearable device with a nifty piece of software is aware of all this, it has a built in calendar, it has a contact list, it is able to determine location. it knows your appointment says ‘diner’, yet location is undecided.
Context-aware applications are able to provide you with direct access to the best restaurants in your vicinity based on your preferences (profile) and that of your friends. Let them know right away, by either calling them (their contact info is presented to you right away, because it is aware!) or use intention broadcasting (a new kind of description introduced to me at mobile 2.0 europe by startup Zipipop )
This is the future!
Got interested? You can find the exact specifications of the geolocation API here.
If you are not familiar with the semantic web, a good start is to check Wikipedia, and especially this ReadWriteWeb article here. For context awareness start with Wikipedia.
There is no such thing as mobile internet - Mobile 2.0 Europe
There is no such thing as mobile internet, it is the same internet!
This was one of the (quite obvious, but often misunderstood) messages of Mobile 2.0 Europe, which I was attending on behalf of my employer Onetomarket.It was a very interesting event, especially the panel rounds. Most fun part was the discussion between the community/businesses and the mobile operators, which in the end almost turned into a row. Fact is that mobile operators need to change their attitude. You can read my recap on the Onetomarket blog in Dutch or Spanish.(Use Google Translate for English version, but beware 
)
Finally, Stuff I did’t mention was the Top 11 of Mobile Trends which were given by Daniel Applequist (correct me if i’m wrong! )
- Smart browsing (and browsers)
- Web standards
- Mobile Ajax
- Mobile Search
- Advertising
- Mashups
- Awareness software and devices
- RFID and QR-codes
- Location, geotagging
- Mobile social networks
- Mobile user-generated content & media
