Yes, they're late to the party, but what really stuck out to me was the fact that Google had a list of all the locations I'd asked for directions to in the past, by merit of the fact that I have Web History turned on. I don't have an iPhone or Android Device, so the fact that I had all the restaurants I might want to rate placed right in front of me was incredibly appealing.

As minor a detail as this seems, I think this slingshots Google into the venue-rating space. If I were Yelp, I think I'd actually be worried now.

EDIT: One thing that's a little weird, if you click on the comments area, it takes you to a blank page. See http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=9906659489061041176...

Of course there are exceptions, like Gmail and Maps. But the mere fact that Google is entering my market wouldn't make me worry. Keep calm and carry on!

In any case that wasn't my point, my point was that as an entrepreneur one shouldn't be deterred by the mere fact that a big competitor is moving into your market

A lot of comments here have complained that this has been tried and done. My question is, where? Does Yelp already do something like this? I went on Yelp a few days ago looking for this exact service. I'm not a Yelp user, and I just wanted something quick and lightweight that would give me recommendations based on my preferences. Found nothing to that effect. In order to contribute at all, I have to write a full review for a bunch of restaurants.

Great consumer businesses optimize for this behavior.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin

2. http://www.alistapart.com/articles/signupforms

3. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5271434/ns/business-consumer_new...

Is it just me or is anyone else sick of seeing the same features being developed on different platforms? Can't google and Facebook fill different spaces?

Buzz was late. Hotpot is late. Where is the innovation Google? Slept on Gmail unification. Wave was awesome but released the wrong way.

Google is starting to make the same mistakes Netscape made. They should stop trying to be another Facebook and continue doing what they do best.

I already have Facebook and Twitter. Give me a better online office app and keep kicking ass with Gmail and Search!

I'm just saying ;)

As long as they are pushing things one step farther I have no problem with them entering existing or even saturated market. It pushes everyone else to innovate instead of settle for mediocrity. Chrome has done that to the whole browser ecosystem, it shaked everyone up from their sleep. They might not do it every single time, with every single product. But there is no way to know if they will change the langscape, if they don't try it.

I was all over Wave and still think they should have slowly integrated its features into Gmail.

I was excited to get my hands on those first releases but I'm just not feeling any of their new stuff.

Part of the attraction of working at Google is being able to work on projects such as these. If they Google stuck to doing search and nothing but search, many of their more creatively minded employees would probably leave in droves.

"I've only been to the Valley half a dozen times, but what I've noticed is an extreme disconnect between the early adopters in the Valley and reality for the rest of the world. In the Valley, everyone seems to have a 3-second attention span: once something's "old" it's no longer interesting or valuable. The problem with that is that companies don't get built overnight; it's a long, slow journey that requires constant focus on who your real customers are and what problems they face, regardless of what TechCrunch says. Some of our users have never heard of Yelp and most have not heard of Foursquare, and it's important we constantly keep that in mind when we decide which features to prioritize."

http://techcocktail.com/launching-nyc-startup-dave-lifson-in...

However, I quit asking what I was eating after I was informed the first two items out of the pot were Pig Blood Tofu, and pig intestine. While the experience was unique, I don't know if I would describe it as delicious ;).

Google Places and Hotpot isn’t just about telling others what you think. It’s about discovering new great places based on your personal tastes and preferences. Once you’ve rated places and added friends, start looking for recommendations of new places to try on Google Maps.

Next time you’re looking for a new dentist, hair salon or restaurant search on Google Maps to see what your friends have to say. Your Google Maps search results will be prioritized according to your preferences. Then you’ll see explanations from friends, so you can find the right place for you.

So like yelp, I guess. Was I supposed to know that already? The linked landing page has only the barest hint about what it is, and you have to be logged in to even see that.

Also, it's kind of bizarre that even with the non-standard design, you can just tell this is a Google product by the colors, font, and spacing of elements.

Is there a way to load more items to review without reviewing five? Otherwise, it's easy to get stuck if it pulls up a list of things you don't have an opinion about.

When I click on the number of reviews, it loads a mostly blank page. I'm assuming something going wrong because I would expect to see the reviews there.

The Google Maps tie-in is also confusing. Now it seems to show the things I've rated first, which is a bit weird, since I already know about them. When you rate new things in the Maps search results, nothing appears or changes dynamically to indicate that you've done so.

Also, my favorite restaurant seems to be missing, but maybe that's a good thing. :)

I tried loading on Chrome and Firefox (Chrome says there's a redirect loop, Firefox gives a similar error.) I've also tried clearing my cookies, doesn't seem to fix it.

Hey Google, I don't want all pages to be in my language. Show them in English, please.

If it didn't save all that, I'm never using it again.

This really feels like a recommendation engine based on your google profile and not a place to really get a feel for restaurants in your area.

Really, do you need to read a review of the McDonalds on Main St. vs the McDonalds on Park Ave., before deciding what you are going to eat at dinner? Why not just group all McDonald into one place.

Not to mention that, due to limited palates, funds, or whatever, places like Olive Garden, Chili's et.al. always end up in the top ten places to eat. Over 5-star restaurants, or even genuinely better local restaurants in the same category/price range (in my city at least).

/rant

Example: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=2313806217463839235

I was expecting a full read/write interface within hot pot.

I wanted to build this but Hotpot has too much of a head start.

Well, it could mean lot of things in broader sense. Thats probably the reason Google choose this name instead of more obvious/common 'Hotspot'. Hotspot is synonymous with wifi hotspots which is not the reason for this website.