Google Local for mobile vs. Nokia’s Mobile Search
As some of you have probably already heard, Google introduced yesterday its first downloadable mobile application, J2ME based Google Local for mobile. If you are reading this from USA and you are a Cingular, Sprint, or T-Mobile customer, you can try this by downloading it from http://www.google.com/glm.
More info from USA Today, PC World, and Engadget.
Now, as I’m writing this from rainy Finland, I couldn’t test this Google app myself. Darn. Instead, I have been using Nokia’s own Mobile Search application (download from http://www.nokia.com/mobilesearch) for a couple of months and I have grown very fond of it. It has also received pretty good feedback from the market - see e.g. Allaboutsymbian’s comments.
Has anyone had an opportunity to try both of these apps? I would be most interested to hear some comparisons of the user experience, no matter how “comparing apples and oranges” this would be.
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Update 9 Nov 2005: I just got this Google Local for mobile working with my Nokia 6680. What did the trick was that I simply took the battery off and restarted my device (this ensures a “clean” boot). After playing around for a couple of minutes, I think the app works quite nicely, especially considering that it is a Java application. I strongly recommend trying it yourself, but be warned - the application is quite data-hungry.
Anyway, I think it will be really, really interesting to see to what heights we (Google, Nokia, Yahoo, some enthusiastic guy in a garage - you name it) can lift the mobile search experience. But more about this in the future…
I had a quick go with Google Local, but it is relatievly limited for me given it US focus at the moment. That said they have an interesting approach (essentially map led), and in some ways this is a good user experience. The search seems to work quite well, and the driving directions are a nice touch (not sure of utility when you’re driving though - too small). Being able to get a map of anywhere (and satellite photos too is great) and is the one thing I’d like to see in Nokia Mobile Search (i.e. search for place names and bring up a map, nit just maps showing location of results).
On the other hand it doesn’t seem to be as efficient in query time as Nokia’s mobile search. I’m not sure there enough thinking about how mobile is different to desktop - the implementation are essentially very similar. I don’t think a map led approach works so well on mobile.
Using Java does mean that application feels non standard, though I was quite impressed by the speed the data appears.
From my opinion the bigget problem of the Nokia Mobile Search is that you can’t make it show the map of the place you want.
It shows the map of the company location, but you can’t just enter the address of the closest building and see how to get home from there.
Hi Rafe - and thanks for posting the first comments to this blog, and for promoting our blogs in Allaboutsymbian.
I have followed your (and Steve’s & Ewan’s) articles in Allaboutsymbian for quite a while. Thanks for your site - I have forwarded many times your articles (good, bad and the ugly) to various people in Nokia. So we have been listening. And now we are trying to join the conversation. I hope we’ll have an interesting conversation in the future!
Good point. I agree that “search by address” functionality must be implemented as soon as possible. Let’s see what happens
I have try both application for Google Local Mobile and MobileSearch from Nokia. Google Local Mobile was amazing smooth is my 6680. The user experience was very good. However, I tried MobileSearch, but cound’t get result from Yahoo site after submitting request.
Disregarding the US focus for the now (I’m sure the UK/country aware version will be here soon) I have to say I’m was initially impressed, just as I was when I first used the desktops web service. The novalty of map soon waore off though.
Having used both GML and MobileSearch on my N70 I find there are pros and cons with both.
GML:
Nice easy UI
Huge data usage – need to be on fixed data plan
Route planning
MobileSearch:
Country aware
Different context searches – Yell, Yahoo, images etc…
Poor UI structure
Great Pop-up previous search entries that are easy edit.
I feel MobileSearch has the edge in that it considers the mobility data issues but this will eventually be eroded as 3G and WLAN becomes mainstream in phones.
With the new OSS browser (when full AJAX support is included) using google.co.uk/local (full web apps) will be seemless when using WLAN home/hotspots or 3G access. Will apps like this just become part of normal web services and are thus only going be short term.
I suppose not everyone will have broadband on their phone so if these apps are needed for the slower data rates then MobileSearch has the right combination, it just needs a few of the GML features and useability. The displayed map for yell searches is great and I feel it does this better than GML.
With MobileSearch integrated in the phone I also assume it may become fully location aware in the future either from GPS addons or from network information.
I tried using the Nokia Mobile Search in Tampere, Finland and it was a huge failure for me.
It’s advertisement says something like “Come to another country and find every shop, taxi, cinema you need”. So I tried to find “taxi” and I found only two or three private drivers. The reason is simple - all the taxis can be found via the Finnish word “taksi” and not the English “taxi”.
Another trial was when my wife needed an emergency appointment with the dentist (suddenly here usual dentist was unavailable while she was coming to him) and I tried to find another one via Mobilesearch - a huge health related failure. Fortunately, I know some Finnish and was able to locate a doctor somewhere close to us.
Still I am very angry about the misadertisement of “Go to another country and MobileSearch will locate what you need”. At the moment you have to know the local language.. and after you know it, you probably don’t need the MobileSearch that much.
I believe, that the need of knowing the local language must be stated both at the MobileSearch page and in the app. Otherwise, it’s almost a lie by default
Although Google local does have a US-focus right now, its worth noting that the Nokia Mobilesearch has no US setting, so local search is for non-US use.
Great blog, btw. I’m keeping this in my rss reader.
Artem: sorry about what happened to you - and good to hear that you managed to find the dentist. We talked about your experiences today, and everybody seemed to agree that we must implement a solution for this language problem as soon as possible.
dthee: Very true. But you have to start somewhere… And thanks for compliments!
Tommi, nice to hear, that the blog brings in the real value for Nokia.. and Nokia might fix my own problem
That’s the nice side of the blog for SW developers - you get an end-customer communication channel for free