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 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:

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:

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.