Google today released Hotpot - a local recommendation engine powered by users and their friends. With Hotpot, Google is making local search results for places on Google more personal and relevant.
Hotpot meshes information from a Google Places compendium of more than
50 million spots around the world with users' ratings and preferences
of friends they invite into their online circles.
Users are able to rate places they like, and based on them, Google
provides other related places. Users' ratings for places are shared
with their friends. The created Hotspots provide recommendations about
specific places on either Google Maps or Places for Android.
In search results, users can see recommended places by using the new
Place Search and clicking on the "Places" filter. Users can also see
recommendations when searching on Google Maps, Google Maps for Android
or when checking the Place pages for a specific business.
Google debuts Hotspots just weeks after Facebook moved to become the
heart of smartphone lifestyles by making it easy for people
to find deals at nearby shops and connect with mobile
software applications.