Archive for the ‘World Wide Web’ Category

Microsoft has released its geodata service “Streetside” in Germany as a new feature on its local search engine, “Bing Maps”. Bing Maps has thus become a competitor on the same level of “Google Maps”, which has offered its own panoramic image service “Street View” for about a year. Read the rest of this entry »

The US-Patent Office has promised Apple a patent for location-based information services that may effect other providers of location-based services. The industrial property law with the code RE42,927 and the title “System and method for obtaining an using location specific information” is broad enough to affect all mobile services using location-based material. Read the rest of this entry »

Because local search is becoming more and more important, the ad company MDG Advertising, which concentrates on targeted internet marketing strategies, has developed an infographic using various sources to give users a general overview of the development of local search. According to theMDG-Blog, companies can use it as a sort-of road map to improve their own methods of local search. Read the rest of this entry »

The primary source for local searching has transferred from traditional directories to Google, according to the Software Initiative Deutschland e.V. (SID). But wait a minute: didn’t some pretty hefty studies just show to opposite? SID was unfortunately unwilling to comment on any sources for their study. Read the rest of this entry »

They just keep going and going: shortly after purchasing the rating-service Zagat, Google has now purchased the Berlin-based start-up DailyDeal.de, an online coupon site founded in December 2009. With the purchase, Google is making clear that it isn’t afraid of the online coupon market, and is signaling its intention to expand own service Google Offers to Europe. Read the rest of this entry »

Searching the internet for people and their contact data has just become simpler with the new web search from dastelefonbuch.de, which was just added to its classic search function.
The search for individuals online is supported using selected sources, according to dastelefonbuch.de. Entries from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, XING, Myspace, LinkedIn, StayFriends or Lokalisten are reviewed, but also from other sites like Wikipedia, news portals, various blogs, as well as company websites and private internet sites. Like the research available in the directory, users can specify first- and last-names, as well as the location. The results are then listed by DasTelefonbuch in a neat display according to the source. Read the rest of this entry »

The big step was virtually confirmed for mid-September by insiders, but the market leader for online coupons is taking a step back. According to The Wall Street Journal, Groupon cancelled its “Roadshow” for investors and has further delayed its initial public offering (IPO).
The reason for this is, according to professionals, the worldwide financial crisis as well as the growing doubts of the business model. Although insiders believed Groupon to be capable of a multi-billion dollar IPO – even the company wanted to get 750 million from investors – the company is still making minuses. The latest reports claim a 50 percent loss in business. Read the rest of this entry »

The leading German telephone directory for local search Das Örtliche has furthered its expansive offering of apps for mobile devices by releasing an app for the HP TouchPad with the operating system WebOS, available for a free download in the HP App Catalog. By supporting WebOS, Das Örtliche now offers an app for almost every smartphone operating system on the market. Read the rest of this entry »

The social network Facebook has been given a facelift in the past week: Almost one year after its release, Facebook announced early last week that its location-based service Facebook Places would be killed off. Later in the week, the network also announced that its online-coupon market, Deals, would also be killed off. But this doesn’t completely mean that Facebook is leaving the location-based market. The social network added that its check-in deal service will still be offered, albeit a bit different than previously. Read the rest of this entry »

Das Örtliche is making the search for telephone numbers and addresses for Mac users Germany-wide even easier. The new MacOS-App from Das Örtliche now allows its users to search locally directly from their desktop on Mac computers. The free Mac app is easy to operate and offers a clear search mask in the known Mac design. The most common search options like individual search or the backwards search can be conducted quickly and efficiently, without much effort. Mac users can also find private and business addresses and phone numbers with just a few clicks. The standard method of getting online and searching there falls away, as the MacOS app can be quickly started on the computer after installation. The download is available under www.dasoertliche.de/macos and in the Mac App Store. The app requires an internet conection and the Mac OS X operating system from version 10.6. Read the rest of this entry »