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Google’s blue dot helps you shop

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 11:45 AM

Google is trying to help mobile users shop by letting searchers know if products are in stock at local stores.

If you’re shopping for a specific product from Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, or West Elm, there will now be a blue dot telling you where this is available nearby. When you click that link, you’re given pricing and contact information for the retailer. From there, you can click-to-call or get directions via Google Maps.

“If you have an iPhone, Palm webOS phone, or any Android-powered device, and you’re in the U.S., just go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on the “more” link, and then select ‘Shopping,’” Google wrote on its mobile blog. “Or look for the ‘Shopping results’ section in Universal Search results when you search on Google.com”

It’s a small tweak, but it could be very useful.

[Via Google Mobile blog]

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About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.