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Google Street View now includes interiors

maps.google.com

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Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#81

Post by timdorr »

nkurz wrote: post #42

Here's another one: http://maps.google.com/?q=Scream%20Sorbet,%20Oakland,%20CA This one's my business. They came to shoot the interior as a perk for participating in a "Google Offer". I think this is how they are rolling it out, at least in the Bay Area. To me, the results came out fine, although I worry that it now makes "casing the joint" a little easier. It took them two visits to get it right. The first time appa…

> It took maybe 20-30 minutes for the full visit, which would make doing this universally quite a chore.

I assume they're working out the quirks so the process can be much smoother and they can do a row of businesses in a strip mall in the same amount of time.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#82

Post by bdr »

joshu wrote: post #67
nkurz wrote: post #42

Here's another one: http://maps.google.com/?q=Scream%20Sorbet,%20Oakland,%20CA This one's my business. They came to shoot the interior as a perk for participating in a "Google Offer". I think this is how they are rolling it out, at least in the Bay Area. To me, the results came out fine, although I worry that it now makes "casing the joint" a little easier. It took them two visits to get it right. The first time appa…

I can't figure out how to get inside your store. I feel a bit like I am playing badly-designed video game. Also, you own a food business!?? I am fascinated by the idea, can you talk more about it?

Click the place result title on the left ("Scream Sorbet"), then click the image above the text ads on the right.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#83

Post by cbr »

b_emery wrote: post #73
recampbell wrote: post #55

The most interesting part comes when they start indexing these images so that you can search products (and prices) within stores. The tech is mostly there (see google goggles). Then you can answer the question "Where's the closest store with jumper cables?" Or really, "show me where the jumper cables are." A very big map reduce job, but seems feasible.

I've often wanted to google the location of items within Home Depot for example. That would be way easier than asking someone, who often doesnt know the answer!

I used to be too timid to ask employees, but since I've gotten over that I've usually found that they do know where things are.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#84

Post by cpeterso »

nkurz wrote: post #42

Here's another one: http://maps.google.com/?q=Scream%20Sorbet,%20Oakland,%20CA This one's my business. They came to shoot the interior as a perk for participating in a "Google Offer". I think this is how they are rolling it out, at least in the Bay Area. To me, the results came out fine, although I worry that it now makes "casing the joint" a little easier. It took them two visits to get it right. The first time appa…

How did a Hacker News reader happen to open a sorbet shop??

Opening my own ice cream shop (in the south Rockridge/Temescal neighborhood, no less!) has been my (half-joking) dream job if I decided to switch careers. When Scream Sorbet opened in Temescal, I was both excited and frustrated that someone saw the same market opportunity! <;)

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#86

Post by cracell »

cbr wrote: post #83
b_emery wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've often wanted to google the location of items within Home Depot for example. That would be way easier than asking someone, who often doesnt know the answer!

I used to be too timid to ask employees, but since I've gotten over that I've usually found that they do know where things are.

Not at Home Depot. The employees there tend to only know where things are in one small section of the store. And for other sections they send you on a wild goose chase where every employee you ask tells you a completely different section and you cannot find what you are looking for in any of them.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#88

Post by teach »

cracell wrote: post #86
cbr wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be too timid to ask employees, but since I've gotten over that I've usually found that they do know where things are.

Not at Home Depot. The employees there tend to only know where things are in one small section of the store. And for other sections they send you on a wild goose chase where every employee you ask tells you a completely different section and you cannot find what you are looking for in any of them.

I'm sure this varies wildly by locale. In Austin, most employees I've ever asked anything pretty much knew.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#89

Post by shalmanese »

andyking wrote: post #72
recampbell wrote: post #55

The most interesting part comes when they start indexing these images so that you can search products (and prices) within stores. The tech is mostly there (see google goggles). Then you can answer the question "Where's the closest store with jumper cables?" Or really, "show me where the jumper cables are." A very big map reduce job, but seems feasible.

I've always wanted a service like this. I needed a USB hub the other day, and I couldn't really wait days for it to show up from an internet store. I could search the website of a big (expensive) chain store, PC World, but we have lots and lots of tiny local computer stores, and supermarkets with small tech sections, whose inventory is an absolute mystery unless I was to go and expend gas driving around them all. I o…

This is what Milo tried to do. They found it difficult enough that they sold to Google instead.

Re: Google Street View now includes interiors

#90

Post by AJ007 »

kb101 wrote: post #66
redler wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Through this idea, Google turns brick-and-mortar stores into the equivalent of an Amazon distribution warehouse. The result could be a highly decentralized Amazon alternative with Google's imprimatur, grown from the bottom up.

And while Amazon is stuck with maintaining both computer and physical infrastructure, Google will have effectively offloaded the physical infrastructure to the free market. Not only that, but while Amazon must seek economies of scale and efficiency at every point of the distribution network, Google can leverage the irrationality and inefficiency inherent in a distribution network composed of individual retail outlets…

One of the phrases I've started using is, in the future you don't have to talk to anyone.

You see this already with the self-checkouts at stores. You walk in, grab what you want, check out and leave without talking to anyone. This is just the start of a torrent of low level automation. At some point there is not a lot left to do.

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