Yahoo’s Sketch-A-Search App For Desktop, iPhone & iPad

Yahoo announced a new set of quick search apps today. The one I like the best is this Sketch-A-Search App, but they also released OpenTable Quick App today and will be releasing a Restaurant Comparison Quick App soon. Let me take you through the Sketch-A-Search App which is live today on Yahoo Search. The Sketch-A-Search […]

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Yahoo announced a new set of quick search apps today. The one I like the best is this Sketch-A-Search App, but they also released OpenTable Quick App today and will be releasing a Restaurant Comparison Quick App soon.

Let me take you through the Sketch-A-Search App which is live today on Yahoo Search. The Sketch-A-Search App lets you draw an outline on a map and confine local results to be within that outline. Ask.com had a similar tool ages ago named Ask City’s Shape Search Tool but since Ask dropped their maps program, the feature died with it.

It all starts with a search with local intent, such as [restaurants 94109]. You should then see quick link under the local results that reads “Sketch-a-search.” Here is a picture:

Yahoo's Sketch-A-Search App

When you click it, a DHTML box overlays on the screen allowing you to rearrange the map and then draw on it. Here are more pictures:

Yahoo's Sketch-A-Search App

Yahoo's Sketch-A-Search App

Yahoo's Sketch-A-Search App

As a companion to the desktop search app, Yahoo released an iPhone and iPad version on iTunes for free.

For more search apps, see the Yahoo Search Blog.


About the author

Barry Schwartz
Staff
Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.

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