By: Alvin Fang

Google results for websites, articles, shopping items, stores, and ads look a lot different lately.

If you search for a destination, Google shows you a GPS to where you want to go. While this is a useful feature, many people wish that searches were more “immersive,” meaning they want a 3D experience similar to VR.

In 2020, the company announced a feature that allows people to use cameras to find where they are and easily get directions to where they want to go, but now, the users will be able to search with and just lift their cameras. Google can point them to their destination, using reality

Last month, on Wednesday, Google hosted an event named “Search On” in San Jose. Google employees said that they would try to become more focused on images and “immersive” material.

“We’ve continued to create more natural and intuitive ways to find information,” Mr. Raghavan wrote, which he said the company expected to do in the “coming months.”

One of those new features is what Google calls Immersive View, which allows you to explore deeper by checking out the weather, traffic, and more. The immersive view will be announced in Los Angeles, London, New York City, and Tokyo in a couple of months.

Another one of the features is called “neighborhood vibe” which allows you to understand exciting things by highlighting popular places.

“Get a vibe check before you visit,” wrote Chris Phillips

The last feature is called the “impressive Live View Tool” which helps you get a look around the area.

“You can quickly know if a neighborhood is artsy or has an exciting food scene so you can make an informed decision on how to spend your time,” the company said.

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/28/technology/google-maps-immersive-search-on.html