This interview appeared yesterday in TechCrunch and is worth a watch.

Takeaways?
* Mayer while not the top dog in Local, she is becoming its public face
* Google will be focusing all new local product developments in the context of their two core products, Maps and Places
* Latitude is just a social view of Maps to which they will be adding functionality
* Hotpot recommendations is the first salvo of differentiation
* Integration of rating and reviews into search results will lead to increased uptake
* Mobile will be the primary focus for local development
* Over 50% of Maps usage is now coming from Mobile… up from 40% only 2 months ago

Questions that I would have loved to hear the answer to:
OK so Hotpot is now rolled into Places. When will Hotpot functionality really be integrated into Places and/or Maps?

What are Google plans for Places and Maps on the iPhone?