Go to Google.com in your iPhone or Android browser and you'll see a little new addition to the homepage: a tiny Near Me Now option below the search box. The new functionality turns your location into an automated search query and makes finding or learning about places in your instant vicinity a no-brainer.
The U.S.-only functionality uses GPS on your device to pinpoint your whereabouts and sort nearby results - right on the www.Google.com mobile homepage - into the following functional categories: Explore right here, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and ATMs and banks.
Actually, the "Explore right here option" serves up an instant drop-down menu, providing you with results that are literally right in front of you. You'll immediately get a fast glance at a venue's Place Page rating and its distance from you. As a result, the simple and smart addition to the mobile Google experience is bound to be both a large time saver and a boon for Place Pages.
It's no mystery that Google is trying to attack mobile location-based services and customer review web sites like Foursquare and Yelp head-on, and actively promote its Place Pages. This update is natural progression to help it do just that. We do have to wonder, however, as to why the functionality isn't a part of Google Mobile app yet.
