Places API opens for business
The search giant has opened its Places API to developers. The tool allows third-party developers to add Google's location services like Latitude to the apps they are building, opening up all sorts of possibilities.
When Google first unveiled Places API at its I/O developer conference earlier on in the year, it provided an application form that developers could use to indicate their interest in the new tool.
According to Google's Geo blog, developers working on check-in service will be the first to try out Places API.
Thor Mitchell, Maps API product manager said: "We have been delighted with the enthusiasm we have seen for the Places API, and the innovative ways in which developers would like to use it. We have seen applications that offer check-in to places and need to identify an individual place at which a user is currently located, applications looking to show a user Places around them, and applications looking to offer a search and browse experience for Places similar to that offered on Google Maps."
The blog instructed developers whose apps fit the initial focus to log back into the application forum to make sure the description of their check-in service app is clear. It also told developers whose plans extended beyond the check-in case that it would be in touch once it is ‘confident that the API can effectively meet your needs.'
