Introducing Mobile Search with My Location

Thursday, September 11, 2008 | 11:57 AM

From time to time, we all need information about local businesses when we're away from our computers -- like confirming the address of a bar while on the way to meet friends. Today we're introducing Search with My Location, a new way to make searching for nearby businesses on your Windows Mobile phone faster and easier.

Previously, when you went to google.com from your phone’s browser and performed a local search, the results were tailored to the last location you entered. Now, using the Gears Geolocation API, Search with My Location approximates your actual location using the same Cell ID technology used by Google maps for mobile. So if you want to find sushi nearby, just type "sushi" and Google will return local business listings around you. If you want to know the forecast, type "weather". If you want to search somewhere else, specify a location in the query like "pizza Kansas City".

We take your privacy seriously and have designed Search with My Location so that it doesn't associate your location with any personally identifiable information, even if you are logged in. We won’t send your location until you explicitly opt in, and you can always opt-out from the Gears Settings under the Tools menu.

Note that some devices don't yet support My Location. For this reason, we’re initially launching the feature on the devices listed in this help center article while we work with manufacturers to add support to future phone versions.

Initially, Search with My Location will be available in the US and UK. To get started, visit google.com from your phone and click on the My Location link under the search box (you may have to refresh the page to see the link). Enjoy the new feature and check out the video to see how Search with My Location can help save your thumbs!



16 comments:

Dean said...

Why only those countries?

Here is my version, it should work for other regions/countries.
There is also instructions on how to get it to work on N95 (possibly other s60 devices)

http://beta.mobilised.net/gears/search.html

Jakub Svoboda said...

Tt works for me in Czech Republic quite good even on my Nokia device. Great job, guys!

Will said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Will said...

you can use this on a laptop with a datacard by going to http://www.google.com/m?source=mobileproducts

Unknown said...

Just tested it in the Netherlands. It's working here also.

Christopher said...

Well, I just tried it on my device (an HTC Hermes aka MDA Vario 2 running T-Mobile's official Windows Mobile 6 ROM, on the T-Mobile UK network)... And it doesn't work.

Either Google's backend isn't picking up the device correctly, or the T-Mobile network isn't correctly passing the Cell ID information to Google - either way, at present (12th of September 2008) it's stubbornly refusing to work.


Any ideas anybody?

Unknown said...

Just tried it on my WinMo 6 device and it says im in NY and im actually in Boston...I dont think they've worked all the kinks out.

Unknown said...

Any reason that this does not work on a Centro - where Google Maps MyLocation works fine.

Scot Geer said...

Only seems to work on IE on WinMobile 6x. I tried it on Opera Mobile and no-go. Otherwise, good app. If your phone doesn't work, try Google Local on Google mobile search, type in your zip, then type in all the same stuff (weather, starbucks).

Sam said...

Gears installed on my AT&T Tilt, but I don't see any location options on the google homepage. Too bad... :( I was all excited.

Unknown said...

Well it shows up in PIE, but shows me as being located in CHIAGO, Illinois. I live in Pennsylvania. This happens whether or not I use GPS... pretty useless for me then huh?

Oh well.

Another interesting note, ever since I installed it on my Mobile I can no longer get weather on my IGoogle page (mobile) it wont let me enter in a location.

Tim said...

Just tried it, and apparently I'm in Medina, 98039. Problem is, I'm in Salt Lake City, 84111.

Can't wait for the bugs to get worked out!

Tim said...

On an SMT-5800 with WinMo 6, in case anyone's interested.

Jason Paris said...

Having the same problem as many of you. I live in Kansas but it is saying i am in Arkansas lol.

Tilda said...

i am in the US. i upload my pictures to picasa and it creates it on "picasa.google.ru". how can i change it to "picasa.google.com". why it made my homepage on .RU??? and how can i change it?

deincognito said...

Hi,

I am really interested in knowing Mobiles search logs content with My Location.

Do these logs contain any cookie link to our mobile phone? Which is cookie content?

Thanks

Congratulations for these incredible features.

Salu2