Google LCB – new Google service for mobile searching sans typing

Tapping away at a mobile phone’s keypad can get to be a real bother – and in some cases, a real medical condition. So, it seems that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has set out to improve the mobile-search experience on handsets. Dubbed “LCB,” Google has tipped their newest mobile service in their robots.txt file – a file that determines what is off-limits to web-crawlers (stuff Google doesn’t want you to see). A new entry points towards a Google LCB feature that Google does not want publicized at the moment.

LCB seems to be a new way of  searching for businesses without the need to type in a search string. Businesses are broken down by category (as the picture shows), allowing the user to dig through entries to find a match. The Google LCB service pulls up businesses that are closest to the user’s location – which is defined by the user (zip code, city, etc.). There’s still a search-box for traditional search-string entry, but the emphasis seems to be on browsing through the categories.

The new LCB service is a great way to find an answer to the age-old question – “what should we do tonight?” Rather than typing in search queries, the mobile user just has to browse through a particular category for a list of options.

Now, does anyone out there have any idea what LCB stands for?

Google LCB

[Via: ZDNet]