I pretty much gave up on the general local directory sites a long time ago. There wasn't many features and search always felt outdated. Who uses a phone directory anyhow these days? With the ease of calling 411 on my mobile or Google local, why would I bother. Well the new Canpages.ca might change your mind. They have a load of features integrated into their mapping tool to get you the information you want. You can have it delivered to your mobile, or share it with your friends on Facebook, or save it as a document for future reference. It's actually quite impressive. 

But the real asset here is that they have started to add Street View, which is only available in specific areas of BC right now. Looks like Google Local will have some competition in Canada. In addition, Canpages offers access to traffic cams in realtime so you can get a snapshot of what to expect on route to your destination. You really have to try it for yourself as there are a lot of rich search features that helps you to narrow down your request. However, I think the big hit is their iPhone app which I've been playing with earlier today. It's got a simple interface, it's quick and it has speak recognition built in so you don't have to type your request while on the move. Great job!

Would you use less energy if you could see what you were actually using in real time? Google is betting that you will, as they pursue their goal to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful". 

I think this has to be one the most progressive ideas to come out of Google yet. Imagine being able to see the amount of energy each appliance in your house uses? Having that kind of information could really put some perspective on things. Electric bills till this point have been, for the most part, a blind cost. If I could compare whether or not boiling water on the stove was using less or more energy than say a kettle, I could make a more informed decision to use the one with less cost. Imagine that bit of saving across an entire population. [via New York Times Blog]