Google’s Favorite Places Reveiled [Google Launches New Reality-Based Business Search]

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Google has unveiled their new ‘Favorite Places’ feature today, which helps you quickly pull up information about a restaurant or shop that you’re standing in front of – in real life. By using your mobile phone and some QR bar codes, you can quickly pull up formation on some 100,000 businesses in the united States that will be given the prestigious title of ” A Favorite Place On Google”.

Based on business search results, Google has selected 100,000 businesses, based across 9,000 cities in the United States. These businesses will be deemed a “Favorite Place On Google” and will receive a sticker to place on the front of their business. The sticker will have a QR code that can be scanned by certain apps on certain mobile phones.

Now, Google users will be able to scan the QR code, and receive Google Search’s Business listening for that business. You’ll receive information like it’s rating, reviews from Google users, and possibly coupons. While there there wasn’t any announcement for this to spread outside of the United States, Google does plan to add more businesses to the service.

While this is a certainly a neat feature, Google’s business search doesn’t have as detailed business reviews as say – Yelp, but I suppose it’s a start, and this may encourage more Google Business Reviews. Google’s end of the service is free but your mobile phone will need a bar code reading app, which is free on Android but not on other phone platforms.