Thursday, April 1, 2010

Our newest Mobile Search feature: Where am I?

Many of our improvements to search quality come from analyzing actual search queries. We’re constantly trying to surface more relevant search results in as many situations as we can.

Well, I’m happy to announce that for those of you who turn to Google in search of, “where am I,” we finally have a better result. Starting today, just go to Google.com on your phone in the US, search for “where am I”, and wonder about your own whereabouts no more.

Note that in this alpha release, we are finding that our results can be slightly off. However, accuracy should improve with greater usage. So if at first the answer is not what you’d expect, please continue to try it over the next couple of days and ask your friends to do the same.

Posted by John Eric Hoffman, Software Engineer
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50 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 1:25 AM

    April Fools???

    ReplyDelete
  2. Russell HeillingApril 1, 2010 at 1:33 AM

    But when will you add the obvious extension to this "who am i?"

    I often find myself suffering with an identity crisis while searching the net.

    Help me Obi-Wan Googler, you are my only hope.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JonoApril 1, 2010 at 1:46 AM

    I'm not in the US... Does searching this bring up anything interesting?

    ReplyDelete
  4. MuffinApril 1, 2010 at 1:54 AM

    Nah, not an april fool.

    Be sure to turn SafeSearch off before trying the much more interesting "why am I?"...

    ReplyDelete
  5. gerrrgApril 1, 2010 at 2:06 AM

    Ha ha! Bombay, and then London; good one!

    ReplyDelete
  6. KathyAZApril 1, 2010 at 2:18 AM

    Where am i? obviously... in Kansas!! This is Topeka :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 6:29 AM

    tried it and my phone is in Atlantis! nice map provided too, very detailed to help me get around the lost city.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kyle MathenyApril 1, 2010 at 6:46 AM

    Mordor, Middle Earth over here

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rosalyn MetzApril 1, 2010 at 8:13 AM

    I tried it and apparently i'm on mars.

    ReplyDelete
  10. jacobianApril 1, 2010 at 8:29 AM

    my location is in uranus.wow I just can't believe it. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. ShardulApril 1, 2010 at 9:51 AM

    I am on the Moon - Apollo 17 landing site!! Cool!!!

    Keep it up guys!!

    Shardul

    ReplyDelete
  12. ShardulApril 1, 2010 at 9:51 AM

    I am on the Moon - Apollo 17 landing site!! Cool!!!

    Keep it up guys!!

    Shardul

    ReplyDelete
  13. NightmaruApril 1, 2010 at 10:24 AM

    I'm on the Lost island. o_O

    ReplyDelete
  14. eldarcjApril 1, 2010 at 10:25 AM

    I ended up on a *chess board*!!! LOL! Great one!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nard-1April 1, 2010 at 10:29 AM

    Jupiter here.

    ReplyDelete
  16. BoomaApril 1, 2010 at 10:29 AM

    Lmao I'm on Uranus...nice one Google !

    ReplyDelete
  17. eldarcjApril 1, 2010 at 10:29 AM

    Okay...just did it again, and now I'm on the island of Bainibarbi!!! What fun!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    Courtyard of Hogwart's here...

    ReplyDelete
  19. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    Green House, Hogwarts

    ReplyDelete
  20. BIOLDAME491April 1, 2010 at 10:32 AM

    moon????

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 10:33 AM

    Just tried it out and my phone is in Barbados. Unfortunately I'm not.

    ReplyDelete
  22. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 10:34 AM

    I'm in the Shire, Eriador, Middle Earth. Nice map... This has got to be a joke, right?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Arí BrégnuApril 1, 2010 at 10:36 AM

    I'm at Helm's Deep, Eriador, Middle Earth. Feels about right.

    ReplyDelete
  24. jdouglas50April 1, 2010 at 10:38 AM

    I am in "Hyperspace Bypass"

    ReplyDelete
  25. FPrioleauApril 1, 2010 at 10:42 AM

    I am in Bombay. Hey, I wanted to go to Middle Earth. Better luck next time!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jim ConnollyApril 1, 2010 at 10:48 AM

    I'm at the Apollo 14 landng site! Cool!

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousApril 1, 2010 at 10:52 AM

    Google has me going all over the place.
    http://tomcoulton.blogspot.com/2010/04/google-helps-find-me-sort-of.html
    Love you Google, you know how to make geeks laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  28. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 11:00 AM

    I am on D4 on a chess board. :S

    ReplyDelete
  29. Rick C.April 1, 2010 at 11:15 AM

    4 8 15 16 23 42...the island.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Suzy HoffmannApril 1, 2010 at 11:36 AM

    I'm in the Shire, Eriador, Middle Earth too. I always knew I worked on a rural campus. Now it's official!

    ReplyDelete
  31. WizetuxApril 1, 2010 at 11:37 AM

    I still don't know where I am??? It keeps telling me that BlackBerry is not supported. Stupid Topeka!

    ReplyDelete
  32. apexskierApril 1, 2010 at 11:37 AM

    I'm at Glubbdubdrib, the island of sorcerers and magicians. Here is the map it gives me

    ReplyDelete
  33. KrysApril 1, 2010 at 12:40 PM

    ...Mine said I was in the Shire. Super FAIL google.. Fix this.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jonathan FredericksonApril 1, 2010 at 12:41 PM

    Ahaha. I'm at d4. :P

    ReplyDelete
  35. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 1:23 PM

    Middle Earth here as well. I love April Fools!

    ReplyDelete
  36. JustinApril 1, 2010 at 1:35 PM

    Great Hall, Hogwarts!!!
    Yay! I'm attending Hogwarts!

    ReplyDelete
  37. AnonymousApril 1, 2010 at 2:35 PM

    Apparently I'm in the Great Hall in Hogwarts. Where's Harry Potter and Ron and Hermione? All I see are my sister, mom, and Dad. Well, at least it's Hogwarts!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Ken AverettApril 1, 2010 at 2:52 PM

    wow i'm on e3 on the chess board.. lol

    ReplyDelete
  39. Alejandro LangurenApril 1, 2010 at 6:03 PM

    I just found out I'm in the singularity created by the 7TeV from the Atlas experiment from CERN... way to go with the pinpoint Topeka!

    ReplyDelete
  40. WyrdRedDragonApril 1, 2010 at 6:27 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  41. CatApril 1, 2010 at 6:33 PM

    I'm so lost in the past.

    Anyone in Laputa? D:

    ReplyDelete
  42. AbsterApril 1, 2010 at 6:58 PM

    I'm in the Hyperspace Bypass!

    ReplyDelete
  43. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 7:03 PM

    The Apollo 15 Landing site for me! And just an hour ago, someone said to me, "Bang! Right to the moon!" Guess he was right.

    ReplyDelete
  44. JaquellaeApril 1, 2010 at 8:37 PM

    i'm in calcutta...wow, and I didn't even need my passport... add "what do you want?" and "who are you?" and you could be on Babylon 5

    ReplyDelete
  45. MeredithApril 1, 2010 at 9:49 PM

    so fun! this rocks!

    ReplyDelete
  46. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 10:45 PM

    *This* is why I want to work for Google once I graduate this May. God bless you folks for making my April Fool's twice over.

    PS: How did they know my dog reads Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

    ReplyDelete
  47. UnknownApril 1, 2010 at 11:26 PM

    Your location: Uranus

    ...how can I be in my own anus?

    ReplyDelete
  48. C. Mark WillixApril 3, 2010 at 2:28 PM

    I've tried this twice. All I get is a list of search results that look like they would be related to any search on this set of terms. Nothing weird, special or funny about it.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Sar009April 4, 2010 at 5:58 AM

    reallly april fool!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  50. DimathApril 9, 2010 at 11:51 PM

    Oh, great!
    Can we have "who am I" and "who are these people" for Saturday mornings???

    ReplyDelete

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