Local search site WhatsOpen was rumored to be the first application for the Google Android mobile platform. Now the site has launched in public beta, including an Android application. The site is launching simultaneously in the US, Europe, and China, on mobile platforms (Android, iPhone) and on Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo.

The basic differentiator vs. existing local search sites is the graphical rendering of business hours information on a map, which allows people to easily see, well, what’s open. There are also some social features to the site, but WhatsOpen is ultimately itself a “feature” rather than a fully developed new local concept. (Local Matters demo’d a similar application at least two years ago.) Accordingly, it would not be difficult for others in local to duplicate the functionality on their own sites.

My suspicion is that this is why the founders are perhaps wisely adopting their simultaneous, multi-country, multi-platform approach.

Related Topics: Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling

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