First, Google's
It's a perfectly logical strategy for Google, as more and more people adopt the conveniences offered by smart phones. After all, maps, directions, and information on local businesses are probably most useful when you're on the road. (Whether you'd also need a satellite image of all of North America is quite another story, but hey, it just looks so cool, doesn't it?)
Google Local is available for download on more than 100 phone models available from Cingular, SBC
Google Local will let cell-phone users search for directions and local services and see maps and satellite images. (Curious, I downloaded Google Local to my own mobile phone. I have to say, it was pretty quick and easy to get. At first glance, it does look pretty cool, particularly the satellite images and pretty maps. I'll have to play around with it a lot more to determine how useful it is in real-world scenarios.) We had a sneak preview of this kind of integration when Google merged Google Maps and Google Local in October.
Of course, Google's not exactly venturing into uncharted territory. Yahoo!
So far, there's no advertising on Google Local for mobile phones. It seems it's only a matter of time before that comes to pass. In the meantime, companies like Google and Yahoo! just want to make sure that they're getting prime real estate, whether it's on your PC or in your pocket.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.