Dear Google, What’s Wrong With You?

techcrunch.com

9 points·forlorn··7 comments

So this guys gets to complain because he had one non-optimal search result and concludes that Google Maps isn't improving? Anyone who says maps hasn't improved since the last 12 months must have their head buried somewhere. I mean, you'll be able to experience a freaking solar eclipse on the new 3D webgl google maps UI this Sunday https://plus.google.com/+GoogleMaps/posts/fuC658DrVCk

I have to concur with his experience - I often get GMaps results (on Android - which matters) that are very far away.

For that I think they should have a simple switch in the search bar - "How far away do you want to show results?". If I'm standing on a street looking for business X, I only care to see results in 1/5/10 mile radius.

I've also had similarly terrible gmaps results - it seems like only sponsored businesses show up or something. Which as the author says is "ok" I guess, but it's kind of not useful, and if its not useful, people will stop using it.

>> "Similarly, last month I searched for “coffee” while in the Embarcadero Center, one of the denser coffee hotspots in America, and was sent to a Starbucks more than two miles away."

My question would be why are you searching for coffee in 'one of the denser coffee hotspots in America'?

Let me guess, you work for The Google?

To add: being in a coffee dense area is precisely why you might want to search for a top-rated coffee shop.

Because you want to be directed to the best one (Blue Bottle isn't bad).

This article is precisely why I'm reticent to rely on any Google offering. A lot of their products have this air of abandonment.

It's not like their products, for the most part, aren't top-notch. Perhaps they feel like they can't improve perfection? Do the developers get bored and move on?

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