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Tweet emoji at Google, get directions to nearby tacos
Add emoji to the many languages Google can understand. Starting today, if you tweet an emoji at Google, the company's Twitter account will reply back with a link to a relevant local search result and a celebratory GIF.
Yahoo now shows Yelp reviews when you're searching for local businesses
Google has long made it easy to find reviews of local businesses in its search results, but you've been out of luck if you prefer Yahoo. You won't have much trouble scouting those locations after today, though. As hinted earlier this year, Yahoo has integrated Yelp's data into its searches, including reviews and photos. Look at a sushi place, for instance, and you'll find out when it's open, what it looks like, and whether or not its rolls are any good. Yahoo may just be closing a feature gap with the Yelp deal, but we're not going to complain if it means that more of our friends make informed decisions about where they shop.
Around Me offers holiday update with many new features for travelers
One of my favorite local points of interest apps, Around Me (free), received a rather substantial update that will bring a smile to holiday travelers and anyone looking for close-by gas stations, eateries, shopping venues and much more. The ad-supported universal app has added hotel booking in the iPad version, while both versions include improved hotel info including the availability of free WiFi and details on parking and facilities. Other new features include gas prices (USA only) and increased info on movies and movie times, the latter information coming from Fandango. The app is not a replacement for a full blown navigation system, but it will allow you to send the destination to whatever nav app you have on your device, including Apple Maps. While checking the app I found no support yet for the new Google Maps, but would expect it at any time. Around Me now supports the iPhone 5 screen and iOS 6. It's one of my favorite apps, especially when I am on the road and looking for everything from a pharmacy to a cinema or an ATM. I don't find the ads annoying, but there is an in-app upgrade to make the app ad-free for US $2.99. That strikes me as a little high; $0.99 would seem more reasonable and bring in more upgraders. I recommend Around Me highly, and I think you'll appreciate its virtues too. %Gallery-173470%
iExit helps you find what's just off the freeway
iExit is a universal, US$0.99 app for iPhone and iPad designed to help you find what you need while on the US interstate system. There are plenty of apps with similar features, but there are a few things that put iExit above the norm. Mike Rose mentioned the app in his piece on summer road trip apps, but I'm going to take a deep dive into iExit. The app has two modes. The on-the-road view provides information on what's ahead, from campgrounds to restaurants to ice cream shops to hotels. You can filter these results, having the app display only gas stations that dispense diesel fuel for example, or just look for the nearest Wendy's. %Gallery-168600% That brings us to planning mode, where you can select any state, any interstate and any exit to get the information from the comfort of your home or office. You can save a favorite, and when you are actually near that location, iExit provides alert when you are nearby. You can even specify at what distance from your destination the alert pops up. In addition to these features, iExit can emphasize things like truck-friendly destinations or family restaurants with playgrounds. Best of all, the app has all the data on board. To test this, I went into airplane mode and the app continued to work just fine. Although not a navigation app, iExit will link to the web version of Google Maps. I don't think that's a great solution, because you can't get turn-by-turn directions. The developers would be far better off to give an option to send the destination to Apple Maps or third-party apps instead. On the other hand, since you are looking for businesses just off the interstate exit, nothing should be very hard to find. Road Ahead is a free app with similar capabilities that I liked when I reviewed it last year. The biggest difference is the sophisticated filtering that iExit performs, and the background alerts. I think for some, the small difference between free and $0.99 will make iExit the preferable choice, but Road Ahead is very capable, and seems to help find locations farther away from the interstate exit. Both apps include coupons for discounts at hotels and other local destinations. iExit and Road Ahead can take a bit of fiddling in the car, which is not a good thing. iExit has a warning when you first open it, telling you that if you crash it's your fault, and not the fault of iExit. My strong suggestion is let your passenger work on your destinations, or get it done before you get behind the wheel.
Foursquare launches local search for all, goes after the likes of Yelp and Google
Foursquare just launched a redesigned desktop interface that everyone, not just members, can use for local listings and business recommendations. The company has been on this trajectory for awhile now, especially with the latest Explore map that provides a more tailored search experience for logged-in users. This is all in line with co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley's promise that Foursquare is more than just a simple social service; that it serves as a discovery and recommendation engine much like Yelp or Google. Leveraging over 3 billion check-ins and 30 million tips from its community of nearly 25 million members, the New York-based firm is confident it can offer reliable recommendations to the general public. It's still beneficial to join up -- you get personalized filters and access to that handy mobile app -- but it's no longer necessary if you just want know where to get a quick sushi fix.
Localscope for iPhone adds integrated reminders and geotagging
I looked at Localscope (US$1.99) about a year ago, and liked what I saw. Now version 3, released today, has added bi-directional integration with iOS reminders and a feature that allows you to add geotagged reminders for any location you find in the app. Localscope can remind you with an alert if your are near a location. It integrates with Apple Maps and is a great supplement because it has far more search resources, including Google Local search, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Wikipedia, Citysearch and Yelp. At the same time, when you have your destination picked out, you can send it to Apple Maps, Google Maps (via Mobile Safari), TomTom, Navigon, MotionX, Magellan Roadmate, Waze and others. I think using this app in conjunction with Apple Maps is a pretty complete local search and navigation solution. Of course, if Apple Maps doesn't have good routing to the destination, that can be a problem. In my tests of the app here in Arizona, I didn't have any issues. I like the alerts as I near a destination, although it is redundant if you are using another navigation app. The local search database is as complete as any similar app, and then some. The update requires iOS 6 and supports the iPhone 5. Localscope packs a lot of information into one little app, and I highly recommend it. Even when Apple Maps gets its promised improvement, Localscope will still be an excellent sidekick for it. %Gallery-168410%
Poynt for iOS is a miss for local search
I took a look at Poynt for iOS about two years ago. I found it a mixed bag and frustrating to use, on top of not being as feature-rich as some of the similar apps on offer. Poynt has been updated, and I still find it a frustrating experience. While features have been added like ratings for businesses and a new homescreen layout I find that the app simply does a shoddy job when searching. For example, while searching for Japanese restaurants near me, it suggested two judo studios. I can understand how the keyword "Japanese" could get jumbled but it doesn't happen to me on other local search apps. On some of my searches, I simply got an error message (see the gallery) referring me to the Poynt website. The app does gas price comparisons, a failing of the older version, which is a positive. The app is free but loaded with ads. Sometimes the ads show up segregated at the bottom of the screen, but sometimes they show up looking like legitimate listings of locations, and I think the ads should be kept out of the content area. After a drive, I got back home and instead of reporting my correct address, which it uses for distance calculations, it had me several streets over. When I asked for directions to a location the app asked to use Google Maps. That isn't going to work on iOS 6 which has no Google Maps app yet. Instead, it went off to the web for Google Maps, rather than using Apple's built-in Maps app (which, as I write this, is still Google-powered). Failing that, it could have offered to use Navigon which is on my iPhone, but there is no option to do so. Some other local search apps, like Around Me will integrate with third-party navigation solutions. Poynt has some laudable ideas, like adding an event to your calendar, but it botches a lot of local searches with bad information, improper locations or guiding me to businesses that closed more than two years ago. Ultimately, you have to trust the software, and I found that Poynt is wrong about as often as it is right. I'm surprised it hasn't improved in more than two years. Poynt is not universal and is primarily designed for the iPhone. It requires iOS 4 or greater. %Gallery-165817%
Google shocker: American web company says web boosted American economy by $500 billion
Who knew that a company which makes a lot of money on the web would be keen to pitch the web as important to the US economy? Google thinks it's as natural as breathing, as it just took significant credit for fueling real-world shopping. About 97 percent of Americans reportedly searched online for a local business -- it's safe to say Google was involved in a lot of those hunts -- and spent an average of nearly $2,000 per person at brick-and-mortar stores last year. The search giant extrapolates to argue that the web pumped about $500 billion into the US economy, even while excluding internet-only sales. That's certainly a staggering number that shows how much of a cornerstone the internet has become for American business, although it comes across as slightly insecure: a company that's reportedly under tight scrutiny from regulators might be eager to show just how much good it's doing for the public in tough economic times.
Nokia Nearby tells your S40 where the action's at
Just because you're packing an S40 or S60 device doesn't mean you should have to miss out on the haps. That's why Nokia Beta Labs is debuting a pilot app called Nokia Nearby, a hyper-local search app -- geared toward emerging markets with a heavy concentration of S40 handsets -- that helps you find restaurants, movie theaters and other locations within close range of your current location. Fortunately, GPS isn't required for the service to work properly, which makes it even more tempting to at least try out. Glance at the video below the break to get a quick demonstration, and move over to the source link to download the beta program.
Microsoft licenses GeoVector's augmented reality search for local guidance (video)
After the ho-hum AR demonstration of Windows Phone Mango, Microsoft appears to be stepping up its game by licensing a mature set of technologies from GeoVector, (a company previously known for its defunct World Surfer application). While the details remain elusive, Ballmer's crew was granted a multi-year, non-exclusive right to use and abuse the pointing-based local search and augmented reality elements of GeoVector's portfolio -- surely capable of bringing Local Scout to the next level. While much of the technology relies on GPS and a compass for directional-based discovery, the licensor also holds intellectual property for object recognition (à la Google Goggles), although it's unclear whether this element falls within the agreement. Of course, Microsoft could have turned to Nokia's Live View AR for many of the same tools, but that would have been far too obvious. Just beyond the break, you'll find the full PR along with an (admittedly dated) video of GeoVector's technology.
Yahoo! introduces Sketch-a-Search iPhone app
Yahoo! yesterday introduced a new app called Sketch-a-Search to the iPhone. It's one of the first search apps I've seen that actually takes a new, novel approach to search taking advantage of the iPhone's multi-touch features. It's simple and easy to use. You launch the app and a split-screen comes up. On the top you have a Google map (yeah, the irony) and on the bottom you have a blank slate. Right in the middle you have a green button. Drag the Google map around to your desired position, touch the green button to lock the map in place, then use your finger to draw a shape (circle, square, squiggly -- it doesn't matter) around any area of the map. Once your shape is connected at the ends your search results will immediately be listed on the bottom part of the split-screen. Right now the app only searches restaurants in the US, but Yahoo! says they be launching additional local categories on an ongoing basis and eventually give the app international support. All in all, it's a very cool app and at the cost of free, why not give it a try? Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search is available in the App Store now and requires an iPhone or iPod touch running OS 3.0 or later.
TomTom iPhone app hits 1.3, gains real-time traffic and Google local search
Here lately, Navigon has been crushing it on the iPhone GPS front. Every couple of weeks, it seems that MobileNavigator is getting yet another fantastic update, all while TomTom's lackluster offering hangs back in the land of complacency. Thankfully for us all, the outfit has just pushed out the v1.3 update, which adds real-time traffic (an unfortunate $19.99 add-on), Google local search, updated roadways, automatic music fading between text-to-speech instructions and the ability to add locations from other apps and websites. We'd still recommend Navigon's software if you're looking to buy into iPhone GPS for the first time, but this is certainly a boon for those already locked into the TomTom alternative. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Poynt for iPhone is a mixed bag
Poynt has come to the iPhone, after having been a very popular free app on BlackBerry phones. Poynt provides local searches of individuals and businesses. It also shares a database with Open Table, so you can use it to make reservations at restaurants. Unlike the BlackBerry app, it has augmented reality, but is missing some features beloved by the Blackberry crowd. Like some of the other iPhone search apps, you can enter the name of a business, and get a phone number, links to a website (if there is one), a mapped location, or directions. If you use the theater search, you'll find nearby movie houses. You can also search by movie genres, or get a list of the top 10 box office films. You can't buy tickets, but you can stream trailers. (Note: The developer says you can buy tickets if a ticket icon appears next to the distance marker. I didn't see any offering from my local theater when I checked the app.) When you search for restaurants, you get similar results to those of the business search. Results include phone numbers, restaurant websites, maps, and directions. You can also narrow your search by cuisine, or by distance.
User manual for Garmin's connected nuvi 1690 reveals "nuinfo" service branding
The connected PND, by most accounts, is a dying breed. Dash couldn't pull it off, TomTom's execution was downright pathetic and no one even remembers that Insignia made one. But considering that Garmin's nüvi range has always delivered, we're going to let the nüvi 1690 ship before passing judgment. Said navigator, which just slipped into the FCC's database a fortnight ago, didn't have too many details attached to it, but a recently discovered user manual reveals that although Garmin's local-data service will be powered by Google, the company has branded it with the virtually-unpronounceable name "nuinfo." Yeah, we have no idea, but we're definitely interested in finding out what the ultimate plan is -- the shots of the device in the manual lead us to believe that local weather information will be on tap in addition to the usual waypoint searching and so forth, but unless Garmin throws these so-called "connected services" in gratis, every smartphone owner on the planet will simply laugh and move on. [Via GPS Tracklog]
