December 8th, 2005
Google Transit Debuts-maybe with Google Talk on way?
Fellow ZDNet blogger Garret Rogers first got the scoop- Google has registered some transit and travel-planner domains.
They now have their first Transit Trip Planner out. You’re looking at it. This service appears to be an extension of Google Maps. What’s available now is a beta for my home town, Portland, Oregon.
How does this interface with what we cover here?
Easy. I’ll even tell you how.
Get your ad salespeople to sell ads for restaurants and other establishments that would be within easy walking distance of specific destinations.
When Google Transit users request directions to a destination, they would have the option of seeing tiny icons at that destination point that would represent attractions at that destination.
Google Transit users would click on said icons, which would then open to a box with basic info about the attraction (restaurant, museum, store).
There would be a Google Talk icon in that info box. When the Google Transit user clicks the Google Talk icon, Google Talk opens.
Of course, Google Talk would need to have PC to PSTN capability, but I have to think that’s on the way.
You wouldn’t think Google would let archrival Yahoo! - which this week announced imminent PC to phone capability in Yahoo! Messenger - get too much of a head start?
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
