Google Earth has proven to be a powerful and useful tool for combing the Earth. The virtual-earth application has helped solve a plane crash mystery, was used for a marijuana bust and lets you explore Disneyland Paris. Now, Google Earth is adding something more practical It will let you see businesses and related information on both its desktop and iPhone apps.
By adding a “Businesses” layer to Google Earth, you’ll be able to see businesses by default when you start the application. Google Earth will list businesses like restaurants, bars, banks, gas stations, and grocery stores. As you zoom in further to the map, you’ll see more businesses. When you click on the icons, you’ll get additional information like the address. telephone number, reviews, and hours.
It’s unclear whether Google is using its database of local businesses in Google Maps to power the business listings, but it seems like that’s the case.
Now if everybody would just paint their roofs white, we could bounce all that solar energy from the sun right back into the stratosphere.
This idea brought to you Obama’s US Energy Secretary, Steven Chu.
“FAIL”
Steven Chu and Jimmy Carter graduated from the same correspondence course.
you’re an idiot… you don’t get it… suggest to read some science..
until then shut the fuck up.
Very Cool, bit it is still not Yelp.
Nice. But would the layman user visit Google Maps to find the best restaurants? Nope. I would want a review for any business I find from the internet..
I love to be able to see everything that’s in one area sometimes. For instance, you are early for a concert – What is in walking distance? Or when you move. Or when you visit someone.
And it does provide reviews, as this article states.
eh who needs yelp
What’s this going to do to Yelp I wonder.
Nothing – Yelp is fueled primarily by foodies egos. They’ll always go there and tell everyone else how good/bad something was.
And map format is not ideal for choosing a place to eat. I’m willing to go a little further for a good steak and I want sorting options (not touch every icon on the screen and see what it is).
It’s still cool, but I won’t use it to find food.
this will crush yelp, google is an auto-installed feature on the iphone a luxury that yelp will never enjoy
This will be great for people driving to places they’ve never been to before and need directions while on the road.
…oh, wait…maybe not. ;p
This combined with Latitude pretty much eclipses places like Loopt and Brightkite. The fact that you don’t have to join a social network to participate is key.
I wonder if they will combine these and add a twitter type client?
Google Earth is pretty cluttered, I like the interface on the iPhone UpNext 3D NYC app more. They should try to do something like that for city searching.
This is probably going hand and hand with the new dashboard Google is putting out there for local businesses as well.