AOL, which was one of the early players in local and has recently fallen behind, has now launched a new look and feel local search. The centerpiece is MapQuest maps plus content and ratings from AOL Cityguide (formerly Digital Cities). Here’s an example search for “Sushi, New York City.” It’s a nice looking, functional site that allows users to sort results by distance, name or rating. These features are now “table stakes” in local, although Google Maps still does not permit “sort by rating.”
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