Google has filed for a patent in India, for a map based local search application. This appears to essentially be a patent for Google Local on Mobile, a service launched in 2005, and subsequently renamed/replaced by Google Maps for mobile.
The patent was filed in India on June 6th 2008, and you may view the details of the original patent at WIPO (here), or download the patent document (PDF) here. Using the application, users can zoom in into a map, and be provided with local business search results, directions for a travel route. Interestingly, the maps service can also include a click to call facility.
Not yet in the list above is Navteq which Nokia had acquired for $8.1 billion last year. Once Navteq becomes a part of the Ovi platform, I think it will emerge as a serious challenge for the likes of Google Maps and MapMyIndia. At the same time, from the operators side, we’ve heard some interesting things about Reliance’s yet-to-be-launched BIG Maps service.
