Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search

Since the App Store’s launch back in July 2008, search companies have been fighting with each other to become the most prominent and user friendly search presence for users of all ages, on devices like the iPhone and iPod touch. Of course, Google has the upper hand being the default service chosen by Apple for each of these devices.

Yesterday, search giant Yahoo! launched a new application. Yahoo Sketch-a-Search. In the past we’ve seen Google take search to new levels, introducing voice-enabled search into its native app. Yahoo Sketch-a-Search takes search that step further. Sketch based searching. With this app, search becomes as easy as drawing a circle or boarder around the approximate place or places you wish to find eating establishments. In order to use the app, you’ll first have to turn on ‘Location Services’ located under Settings > General. Once you do, Yahoo Sketch-a-Search will be able to determine your location in-app and this .. is were the fun begins!

Opening the app for the first time you’ll be greeted with a split screen. The bottom half of the app initially displays your location, while the topper half displays a visual map. To search a new search you simply hit the green ‘Sketch’ button located dead center of the mid-way toolbar. As you do you’ll see the map gain a feathered boarder. This signifies you are in ‘Sketch’ mode. From here its as simple as finding a place on the map and drawing a ring or border around your search area.

Yahoo! will then return all the restaurant results for the area you previously defined. Shown by pins, these locations can be tapped to reveal more information about each, including; their rating, type, phone number and website. Need to search via specific city? You can do this too. Tapping the ‘Cities’ tab will simply bring up in-app search. Just type in which city you need, and away you go! Need to filter a search? Tapping the app’s ‘Filter’ button will bring up a scrollable list with three columns. The first is the type of restaurant, the second is the atmosphere and lastly the restaurants rating running from 3 to 5 stars .. Well, no-one wants to eat out at a 1 star restaurant now, do they?

Granted, its a pretty cool idea, but its certainly not a finished one. Far from it. Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search failed to return results for 85% of the locations I tried to search in the UK, including London. However, virtually flying the pond resulted in better performance.

Hey, its free, so why not give it a download .. but if you’re downloading it for the purpose it was intended, just be aware that search is limited to eating places and currently it is lacking a few major world cites from its search database.