Better than Google Earth or Maps?

Google Earth is a brilliant tool, no doubt. And the only one I have seen even web-agnostics use. Clearly, Google wants to sell location-relevant advertising. But it doesn’t do that in Germany, yet. So another company came along – one that originates from the yellow pages industry:
GoYellow.de now created a map of Germany that includes satellite images, which are at least as good quality as at Google. And, most importantly, GoYellow put all their yellow pages entries on the map, including a function to contact the location. You enter your phone number, and GoYellow will call you back to connect you with that retailer, restaurant or whatever it is you were searching for.

Another add-on: you can enter where you currently are, and German Rail will tell you how you can get from your location to the location your were searching for.

This is great stuff, whenever I find tools like these on the net, I am more than ever convinced, that in a few years there will be only little added-value left that traditional media can provide compared to these kind of things. Something like being „accessible“ even during a power-outage (when all batteries happen to be flat at the same time), for example.

It doesn’t happen often, that web-related news from Germany make it abroad (except for the recent and utterly stupid „Klowand“ debate, mabye). But this one apparently even fascinated Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine