Marissa Mayer: Google Will Connect the Digital & Physical Worlds Through Mobile

Google’s recently appointed head of mobile and geolocation Marissa Mayer took the stage Friday afternoon at South by Southwest to discuss how Google’s maps and locations products are paving the way for a more digitally and physically connected future.

“The mobile phone acts as a cursor to connect the digital and physical,” Mayer said during her presentation in which she also discussed Google’s location and mobile products and strategies. She segmented the talk into three sections: fast, fun and future.

Mayer spouted off impressive product stats and the improved speed of Google Maps for Mobile, highlighted how the company is applying Google Street View to art and concluded by hinting at a future when Google marries its fast array of mobile-friendly products — Calendar, Hotpot, Google Maps for Mobile and Goggles — with location to make life smoother. This is what she calls the “power of here.”

She also shared data on a few of Google’s applications: 40% of all Google Maps usage is on mobile, and Google Maps for Mobile has 150 million users. The app’s turn-by-turn navigation feature processes 35 million miles per day. Also, the newly added route around traffic feature is saving users two years of time every day, which equates to a potential $250,000 in fuel savings per year.

Mayer also talked up Google’s place recommendation product Hotpot. No specific metrics were revealed, but Mayer referred to its adoption as a success. She pointed to the fact that 20% of all Google searches are for local information to highlight why Hotpot — the product’s data is incorporated into maps and search as well — is quite significant.

Ultimately, Google’s aim is to tie the digital world to the physical world through mobile and bring to life the “power of here,” Mayer said.

More About: Google, marissa mayer, Mobile 2.0

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