Google continues to use and improve Google Maps

location based services

Search: Tighter Integration - Google Blogoscoped tips us off on how Google is integrating its Local and Maps services more prominently into Search. When running various business related search queries an image of a Google Map appears as the first search result. My thought is that Google wants to get you in front of the proper Maps interface rather than trying to use it in such a small form factor within the Search results list. Philipp Lenssen provides the example of "sf mortage broker" as a sample query in his blog post. Additionally,
Search still provides text links in its results to Google Mapped businesses preceded by this geo icon:

Address searching yields a text link over to Google Maps preceded by this maps icon: