Google Launches Places Directory App For Android
What started as an employee’s 20% project at Google is now a fantastic companion to using Google Maps to find places on your Android phone. From the Official Google Mobile Blog:
As the name implies, Places Directory allows you to browse nearby places in categories like Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Hotels and Banks. You’ll see distance and directions to the destination, and if you tap on the listing, we’ll show ratings and photos. You can also call the business or view its location on Google Maps.
Similar to the Where or Restaurant Guide applications, Places Directory is more of a category-based system than a regular search. By using your GPS to locate your position, you can view places around you easily and see how far they are, then one-touch call or view them on Google Maps. The photos and ratings are also a nice touch if you’re contemplating a restaurant you’ve never heard of, although less consesequential with places like banks or gas stations. You can also save places to Favorites or share a place via SMS or Gmail.
I, for one, am really happy to see such high-quality applications coming from the good people at Google. From Google Finance to Sky Map to this, and of course all the other Android optimized apps and mobile sites. Keep up the good work, Google.
The application is available in the Android Market now. Just search for “Places Directory.”
Something that’s VERY cool are the little red arrows. It points in the direction of the place you’re trying to get to, in real time, presumably based off of GPS + the accelerometer.