Recently I walked right in the front door of a competitor via Google. I was able to zoom in on merchandise containers and read prices in amazing detail without leaving my home. Heck, the IRS could take a pretty good inventory from afar!

Furthermore that store had signs behind their wrap counter for their internal use. Many were easy to read on my computer.

On another competitor I was able to examine the roof of his building in detail. Useful info if I were inclined to break into his store from above.

I wonder how long it will be before retailers "stage" their businesses for the G camera... put up all sorts of 50%-off signs just for that one day.

I wonder how long it will be before retailers "stage" their businesses for the G camera

There's a business opportunity right there. My only hope is that Google doesn't start attaching G+ profile pictures to things like your home address, vehicle GPS or cell phone location, you know they wanna.

You have a new text message!
- Amanda is on the move and there is a 94% probability that she is heading towards your favorite restaurant, press the big arrow and get together!

You have a new text message!
- Amanda is on the move and there is a 94% probability that she is heading towards your favorite restaurant, press the big arrow and get together!

You mean you don't think that's already here? It's doable with the tracking built into a smartphone.

jsinger, those ideas never occurred to me - nice one!

I don't see anything in Irvine California that I can go into.

They rolled this out in test cities several years ago. A young girl phoned, said she was with G and asked permission to take some pictures. She was pretty vague about it; I doubt G itself knew precisely how they would use it. The girl knew almost nothing.

I was there when she arrived with her camera a several weeks later. She didn't ask to go into our stock room or our offices. She said she wasn't allowed to include customers or employees. The pics of our business didn't show up online until a year afterward. Those somewhat limited shots are still online.

Lately I've been seeing more-panoramic shots of other businesses. G's technology is improving. You can virtually wander almost anywhere in the customer-accessible areas of the business.

then the next step is to get every business to sign up for free then the next step after that is to let you click on any item and buy it direct from google shopping for a small fee, you wont need a website in the near future

You have a new text message!
- Amanda is on the move and there is a 94% probability that she is heading towards your favorite restaurant, press the big arrow and get together!

LOL, more like ... "Your wife is on the move, you'd better leave your girlfriends house and get home before she does"

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I doubt we'd see an end to websites and ecommerce as we know it. Stocking warehouses would show nothing more than boxes on shelves, not a good user experience.

"I don't see anything in Irvine California that I can go into."

The program is still expanding, see Google's list of areas covered. [maps.google.com...]

Watch for an increase in irate customers saying "Don't tell me you don't have it in stock! I saw a huge display in the picture at Google" ... taken eleven months ago, but try explaining that to folks who are convinced all online images are from live webcams.