Amazon’s A9.com has launched A9.com Yellow Pages featuring “Block View” technology which shows a street view of businesses and their surroundings.
Using trucks equipped with digital cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, and proprietary software and hardware, A9.com drove tens of thousands of miles capturing images and matching them with businesses and the way they look from the street. Block View allows users to see storefronts and virtually walk up and down the streets of currently more than 10 U.S. cities using over 20 million photographs. In addition, A9.com Yellow Pages uses features on Amazon.com that allow users to review, rate, provide more information, create lists, and get recommendations on more than 14 million businesses across the U.S.
“It took integrated GPS receivers, digital cameras, sophisticated geocoding software and a lot of driving,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s Founder and CEO . “But 20 million curb-side photographs later, A9.com Yellow Pages lets you see where you are going before you get there.”
To find a business, A9.com Yellow Pages users simply type its name or category into the search box on the A9.com homepage, click “go”, and select Yellow Pages on the right side of the page. A list of local businesses with an interactive map that shows their locations will appear. Clicking on a business takes users to a detail page for the business, which includes the block view feature as well as other features like– Click-to-Call, Free Enhanced Listing, Directory Information, customer reviews, and personalized recommendations.
“Yellow Pages have not changed much in a hundred years,” said A9.com CEO Udi Manber. “With our innovative Block View technology, we are bringing them to life.”
Murdok | Breaking eBusiness News
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