Google Adds Local Search to Mobile Arsenal

Posted 01/08/2010 at 2:56pm | by Bart Salisbury

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Mobility is a nifty thing, and devices that can be mobile with you are a blessing. They are an even bigger blessing if they are keyed into your local surroundings, saving you from the tedious effort of narrowing down your geographic possibilities. Google has taken a step to make your mobile experience geographically relevant, adding a “Near me now” option to its search page.

Google says the “Near me now” option was designed to address two user problems: (1) making it faster and easier to find a place in the user’s immediate vicinity; and (2) making the search for popular categories really simple. Just load up Google.com on your mobile browser, allow your location to be known, and the “Near me now” option appears. Clicking it then limits your search to those places which are closest to you.

“Near me now” offers two possibilities. You can look up a specific place, such as a restaurant, or you can select an “Explore right here” option which will show you what’s local.

“Near me now” requires an iPhone (OS 3.x), or an Android device (version 2.0.1 or later). The accuracy of the service depends on how well your location can be determined through your phone provider or Internet connection.

Image Credit: Google