Most people are pretty good at blocking out distractions. Unfortunately, this talent can also let them ignore new features, so Google is making its Street View more prominent than ever before.
Google Street View was launched about six months ago, and a lot of Google Maps users still have no idea it exists. After all, the default setting shows them a map, and since that’s what they’re looking for, they go no further. Now they won’t need to.
“In the past, a search of a specific location in Maps yielded a placemark on its location and a pop-up balloon containing its address,” notes Jie Shao on the Google LatLong Blog. “Starting today, the balloon will also display a thumbnail preview of the panoramic image for locations where Street View is available. Just click on the thumbnail or the ‘Street View’ link under it to display the location in full view.”
The feature may not be fully working just yet – Shao uses a search for the Googleplex as an example, and I was unable to duplicate those results. Also, note the “where Street View is available” restriction, and recall that Street View coverage is still far from widespread.
Still, this should be a useful feature, assuming that most of the Street Views aren’t blocked by trucks, trees, or crowds of people.
