During the gossip-filled run-up to the Android announcement, many pundits believed that Google was planning a handset heavily weighted toward local search.  Coupling Google’s sponsor-driven database of companies with a GPS-enabled phone, you’d hardly be able to walk down the street without discount coupons and come-hither messages beckoning you into shop doorways.  Yet oddly enough it’s Helio – together with a software service called BuzzD – that is delivering something like that; sure enough, it uses the cellphone’s GPS to pinpoint you, then offers up a series of local venues, services and activities.

A standalone app on your Helio handset, BuzzD lets you check out what’s happening nearby in real-time – ideal if you can hear a parade in the distance, but aren’t sure if it’s something you want to join in on – as well as send messages to friends to boast about all the fun you’re having.

[via Gizmodo]