Google Announces Trip-Planning App
Google unveiled Google Trip, a new smartphone app that helps users plan and organize their trips, extending the tech giant’s entrance into the online travel market. The app nautomatically pulls details about a user’s trip from their Gmail e-mail and recommends restaurants, attractions and "local gems" based on data gleaned from other travelers, Google said Monday in a blog post. Users can download saved itineraries and reservations so they don’t need to worry about cellular coverage when they get to their destination.
Obviously, Google has the potential to become a "threat" for other players, such as the TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Google's inbox e-mail app already collects users’ flight and hotel reservations and organizes them by trip. Google bought the restaurant review firm Zagat in 2011 and travel guide publisher Frommer’s a year later to add specialized content to Google Maps.
The Trips app brings that all together. Instead of toggling between Gmail or Inbox, Maps and wherever you saved restaurant recommendations from your friends, Trips lets you do that all in one place.
Still, users won’t be able to book activities or restaurants from within the app.