14 DAY TRIAL // Google has started publishing the 360 interior imagery it has been shooting for the past few months. And now it's integrating it into Google Places and, more importantly, into Google Search. When searching for places you'll now get the option of checking interior shots of the place or places near the location straight from the search results.
The new places section, on the right of search results, now has a much wider map, more details about the establishment, but also images of the place, either by Google or uploaded by the owner.
Among them, for places that have been visited by Google, there will be some images marked with a small Pegman, indicating that they are panoramic Street View images.
Click on any of them and you'll instantly be directed to the 360 degree view of the place, which you can explore for yourself. It's much easier to get a feel of the location this way and see ahead of time what it's like.
Google has updated the right panel section for cases when you're not looking for one particular place, just places around a location.
If that is the case, you'll see a double arrow sign, the Instant Preview button, which will enable you to see the map and images for any of the places listed in the search results without having to go back and forth between Place Pages and Google Search.
"This new type of layout may appear on the search results page for a range of real-world places -- restaurants, hotels, local businesses, landmarks, museums and more," Jim Müller, Tech Lead at Google, wrote.
"Of course, the local information that appears will vary depending on what’s available online," he said.
"So the next time you plan your visit to the New England Aquarium or Fenway Park, you might be able to check out their opening hours, get directions, and find the nearest transit stops, all from a simple Google search," he added.
The feature is only available now in the US, but Google is rolling it out in 40 languages in the coming weeks. Of course, interior Street View photos will only be available in a few countries at first.