By Steve Ragan Apr 9, 2007, 10:10 GMT
One thing is certain about Google; they never stop adding new things to their tech lineups. Over the weekend, Google Labs launched a new toy, Google Voice Local Search. It is a new attempt from Google to allow local business directories to be searched over the phone. A free phone call to 1-800-GOOG-411 will lead you to a series of prompts, which will allow you to use the same local directory already in wide use on Google’s website. (This is just neat, and for Indianapolis, Indiana, the results were spot on.-Steve)
After you dial the number, the prompts are simple to follow, starting with entering your location. During testing for this article, local information was entered as directed by the Google Labs website and then some. Speaking to the prompt and giving Indianapolis, Indiana, worked as predicted. Just the city, Indianapolis, as well as zip code, worked as well. Entering the zip code on the phone instead of speaking worked too, but the application running the phone call prefers that you talk; attempting to enter all relevant information into the keypad simply gave no results and at one point ended the call.
There is the option to have the search information sent to you via text message, simply say ‘Text Message’ or press nine. This leads to some speculations, could this be used in conjunction with Google’s mobile search, and maps? The ability to tie all three into one service would make for one strong offering to the mobile market. Imagine calling the number, performing the voice search, and then having the results, and relevant directions sent to your phone. On a tested Motorola Q, the results from the phone call were sent in plain text, and only after entering the relevant information into Google’s mobile search did the maps, and directions appear.
The charge for the call to Google is free. However, any relevant carrier and service charges from your cell provider will apply. “Google Voice Local Search is still in its experimental stage. It may not be available at all times and may not work for all users. We’re fine-tuning the service to get better at recognizing our user’s requests and at finding the businesses they are looking for. It’s currently only available in English, in the US, for US business listings.”
If you want to play and try this new service here are some tips from Google. The number: 1-800-GOOG-411. When you are asked for city and state, you can, say the city and state like Beverly Hills California. Say the zip, e.g. nine-oh-two-one-oh, or type the zip code using the key pad, e.g. 9-0-2-1-0. When you are asked for a business name or category, you can, say a business name, like Giovanni's pizzeria. Say a category name, like hardware stores, or say ‘go back’ to change city and state.
When browsing through results, you can, say the listing number (e.g. "number two") or press the corresponding key (e.g. "2") to choose a listing or navigate between results. You could say "text message" or press "9" to receive a text message, when you are calling from a mobile phone. Say "details" to get more information about the current listing. In addition, you can say "start over" or press "*" to start from the main menu. Mentioning, "go back" will change business or category.
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markApr 9th, 2007 - 14:49:39
Sounds cool I will have to give it a try!!
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