Is it an admission they can't compete? I don't know that it is. It could just be done in order to save $, by outsourcing a lot of programming and instead using Google Maps "off-the-shelf", as it were.

Aside from supposition that Sensis is using an external software solution in place of their own, it is also a complement from the Google end -- Google is essentially saying that Sensis's business listing content is superior to what they could develop on their own.

It's an interesting partnership all the way around -- appears to be a good one.

And there you have today's internet.

I went to a Google Breakfast followed by a search engine conferance in Sydney 3-4 years ago. Telstra presented Sensis and said it was superior to Google in every way. They had Google and Yahoo people there to and they watched the presentation politely.

I'm not just saying this but I knew there is no way on earth a bloated telco like telstra could hope to compete seriously with Google or even yahoo. Sensis has never been particularly good to use either. I did add our website and referrals from Sensis never show up in our logs.

I just knew this would happen. Shame theyv'e wasted millions realising it though.

In the same vein (and with the boot on the other foot) I genuinely like Google but Android has no hope against the iphone. Apparently the G1 HTC is regarded as a flop in the media already.

Google is hedging its bets and offering Google earth, Street View on the iphone so it will come out on top either way.

Makes 2nd place in Australian local search a far far distant second.....

The next step will be the demise of the Yellow Pages as we know it. The decline in the book's thickness over the last ten years has been marked.

I would think the web and paper directory is reaching the point of non viability also without a partner like Google.

Just got word from "our man in Sensis", that as of today, Sensis.com.au is serving Google results and Google advertising. Shame, because although one could debate on the quality of the previous Sensis results, at least it was another angle/opinion on web search. Now, it is simply a mirror of Google.com.au, albeit with some slight differences in results.

Oh well.

Onya
Woz

..... and then a few years later , good bye Yellow Pages , hello Google, then comes Google's phone technology , then Telstra shakes hands with Google.

....Possibility ?