Google's Beta 411 Connects Business Calls Free

Does Google know any bounds when it comes to offering diverse new services? On Friday it began testing a free telephone directory listing service that will look up business listings and connect the call for free. You can also have a text message of the phone number sent to your mobile phone.

The service is part of Google's research division Google Labs and is free for anyone to try by dialing 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). The service is called Google Voice Local Search and could represent serious competition to existing services such as Jingle Networks' 1-800-FREE411.

I tried out the service, looking for an out-of-state listing, Zellner Chiropractic Center in Boulder, Colorado, using a scratchy connection on my cell phone. Google tripped up when it tried to understand what I said the first time, but on the second try found the number and connected my call for free.

Google Voice Local Search relies on an automated voice-recognition program that asks for the city, state, and name of your listing when you call. When I tried it at first the service didn't understand "Zellner" and assumed correctly I was looking for a chiropractor. It offered to list the top eight Boulder listings for "chiropractor". It also gave me the option to say "go back" and try saying the listing again.

On my second attempt Google Voice Live Search understood what I said. It also offered to give "details" of the phone number which included the street address of the business I was looking for. You can also have a text message sent to your mobile phone of the number and street address of your listing.

The only thing I didn't like about this service is that Google's text-to-voice speech engine is a bit crude, compared to Jingle Networks' 1-800FREE411 service. I found it hard to understand everything the Google's automated operator was saying. But that's a small price to pay for not having to pay a dime or listen to a voice ad (as you have to with Jingle) for the listing and phone call.

I'm sure if this Google service becomes more than just a research project, in time, their will be ads on it. I'd still rather listen to an ad than pay $1.25 for 411 service from my landline or wireless carrier - which is what they are charging me. Who knows maybe someday paying for 411 will be as antiquated as the rotary phone.

Comments

Heh heh... Out of beta this month and no ads yet...

voyagerfan5761

October 23, 2007

1:24 PM PT