Yahoo puts local content on the map | CNET News.com: “The SmartView service lets surfers use the Yahoo Maps section of the company’s Web site to view information on local points of interest, such as restaurants, hotels, parks, automatic teller machines and post offices. Along with highlighted maps, Yahoo gives details about locations, including addresses and phone numbers, pricing, Web sites, and driving directions. Yahoo said it also plans to incorporate a user rating system for hotels listed on the maps. ”
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This is a very slick implementation, and as humbly as I can say this, is directly in line with how I was thinking about the space. Even the business listings you see SCALE as you increase or decrease zoom level… a very classy touch that most would have missed.
The only thing missing (IMO) is the ability to get a full list of all businesses that match the business category selected. This is a negative only because it’s a byproduct of the comprehensiveness of the listings Yahoo has already collected. (My map looks like a Christmas tree when I select Mexican restaurants near my home in downtown SJ.)