With a backing track so goddamn funky we were throwing our white suit jackets across the room, Google have released a video showing off their ‘Near Me Now’ feature.
The feature gives your phone the ability to search by using your location as the query.
To get jiggy with the new technology, simply hit Google.com on your iPhone or Android browser and click on the “Near me now” link once your phone has worked out where you.
The Google Blog explains in more detail:
“Near me now” was designed to address two user problems. First, we wanted to make it fast and easy to find out more about a place in your immediate vicinity, whether you’re standing right in front of a business or if it’s just a short walk away.
For example, you may want to know what other customers think about a restaurant before you go inside (see quick video below) or what they have been raving about on the menu before you order. By selecting the “Explore right here” option, you can find out more about a place “right here” with just a few clicks.
ast month, Vic Gundotra, VP of Engineering, demonstrated at the Computer History Museum the ability to search by using your location as the query. Starting today, you can try this yourself by going to Google.com in your iPhone or Android browser and clicking on “Near me now” once your location has been provided by your phone.
“Near me now” was designed to address two user problems. First, we wanted to make it fast and easy to find out more about a place in your immediate vicinity, whether you’re standing right in front of a business or if it’s just a short walk away. For example, you may want to know what other customers think about a restaurant before you go inside (see quick video below) or what they have been raving about on the menu before you order. By selecting the “Explore right here” option, you can find out more about a place “right here” with just a few clicks.
Sadly, us Brits are missing out on the action at the moment, with the “Near me now” feature currently only available in the US for iPhone (OS 3.x) or Android-powered devices with version 2.0.1 or later.
If you are ambling around the US, remember you must first enable your location for the “Near me now” link to appear, and the “Explore right here” thing will only do its stuff if the phone provides location accuracy within approximately a city block.
