Google is fusing its massive database of business listings and its Street View technology to bring information on businesses into your view from the street in Google maps.
What does that mean? When you are virtually strolling down the road in Street View, Google will serve you information inside that environment about what businesses are there, what their ratings are, how to contact them and so forth. Screenshot of an example after the jump.
This accomplishes two tasks, providing both a better and more powerful Street View experience, while giving Google yet another location where it can sell advertisements. Wherever Google brings you data, it will sell ads against it.
As a feature this makes excellent sense. People are increasingly using Street View to plan trips, and when users do so they want to get a look at what they can do while away. Before, Street View was generally used after regular map functions were employed to ensure that they knew the facade of the building they were hoping to reach.
Not now, with business annotations inside of Street View that has been condensed. You can walk to see where you can go, and what is there at the same time.
Who wants to bet that Google snaps up an augmented reality startup to make Street View even better? Google seems intent to walk down that road. What do you think of the changes, will they change your usage of Street View?
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