Google Takes to the Streets of India

Google Street View is a useful tool for getting to know a neighborhood without actually being there, and today, Google announced that they're bringing their camera cars to Bangalore, India.

The Street View feature started in the U.S. back in 2007 and has since expanded to 27 countries, with South Africa and Japan among them. India is uncharted territory for Google's eye, and the project is underway.

This new venture will see the ongoing adventures of the Google Trike. This three-wheeled pedicab will record images in select locations that Google's cars can't reach. Previous locales for the trike have been the Colosseum in Rome and Stonehenge in the United Kingdom.

The potential findings in India are interesting, at the very least. Google Street View has a history ofstrange and amusing sights. Among them are theft and vandalism. Other curious sights have been sighted by Google's team, like public urination and men leaving strip clubs. The world's streets are rife with oddities, and one can only wonder what the trike and cars will reveal in their trails through India.

Google's journey through India will begin in Bangalore, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It can be surmised that following the completion of Bangalore, Google will expand its Street View feature to other highly populated cities in India. Perhaps Delhi or Bombay will get a tour.

Either way, this is a good step forward. Google Street View is probably more reliable than most travel sites for getting honest images.