So this is all great; now if you have a special add-on for your browser, you can quickly capture business addresses and other similar information from Google Maps and then transfer them to your address book on your mobile phone, via USB or Bluetooth.
But wait, isn't technology about making things simpler? I don't want to take that extra step and use Bluetooth or a USB cable to transfer the data to my mobile phone. What if I am in an internet café or don't have a USB or Bluetooth enabled handset? Whatever shall I do?
Well, that's where the new rising star in the mobile industry could come dashing over the horizon to your rescue: QR-Codes. QR-Codes, also known as mobile barcodes, are two-dimensional barcodes - e.g. horizontal and vertical codes - that you can scan using your mobile phone camera in order to extract the data within the QR-Code. To the left is the QR-Code for http://www.bigmouthmedia.com / .QR-Codes can hold any kind of data from websites to contact details. Once you have scanned the relevant code, your QR-Code reader will extract the data within the QR-Code and act upon it - e.g. visit a website or dial a telephone number.
So, if you were to combine Google Maps' use of Microformats and QR-Codes you'd get a quick and efficient way of being able to:
- Find a business on Google Maps
- Scan the QR-Code with your mobile phone to get the business details held within a VCard created using Microformats.
- Save the business details on your mobile phone for later use.
Now isn't that much easier than having to write down the business details or even transfer the details to your mobile phone via Bluetooth or USB? We think so.
Could Google Maps look something like this in the future?
This feature is not yet available on Google Maps folks, but could certainly enhance its offerings if it was introduced in the near future.
