Google Street View goes inside buildings

If you're sick of looking at the same old streets on Google Maps, the search giant's latest feature will be right up your [ahem] alley.

It is now possible to take a virtual tour of participating shops and establishments via Google Street View. The photoshoots produce 360-degree images using fish-eye and wide-angle lenses.

The new feature is restricted to businesses that elect to participate. Recent examples include the Guylian Belgium Chocolate Cafe in Sydney, Australia, Gruhn Guitars Inc in Nashville, USA and the Tenkai restaurant in Kyoto, Japan.

"Millions of users visit Google Maps every day to learn about new places," explains the Google Street View web site. "Showcase your business to these potential customers by signing up for a photo shoot by Google trusted photographers. The images will appear on your business’ Place page, and as 360-degree imagery using Street View technology."

Personally, we think it's a bit strange that businesses would be so keen to sign up to this service - isn't that like handing over the blueprints of your store to criminals? Let us know what you think of the new feature in the comments section below.