Google Maps just got a big boost - Zagat, the restaurant review service, was just acquired by Google and now, Google blogged, maps and search will be included in Zagat products.
Marissa Mayer, VP, local, maps and location services at Google, blogged this morning that Zagat may very well be the earliest form of UGC - user-generated content as the Zagats gathered restaurant reviews from friends to start their worldwide review service more than 32 years ago.
So what does this mean for you, developers? Well, personally, I think it might mean incredibly enhanced capabilities for Android applications and perhaps enhanced Map APIs. I think it could also have enhanced Web application uses (for websites or plug-ins) and perhaps can even be helpful in internal applications (Lunch recs, anyone).
Either way, I think it most definitely shows that the mobile battlefield is the one to conquer now and that the best way to do that is through consumer-focused applications.
I mean after all, don't you always "Google" a restaurant before attending?