Google's Free 411 Service Now Open to Toronto
Nobody likes paying $0.75 per call just to get a phone number while on the road and getting nickel and dimed all the way to the bank by the phone companies. For me, it's always frustrating when I just want to make a reservation at a restaurant and can't remember the number, having to resort to finding a nearby phonebook in an age where wireless data is so freely available.
Thankfully, Google are doing what they do best: giving free access to information. Right now, you can call 1 (800) GOOG-411 (4664-411) and get access to every number Google has indexed on the Web, and instantly be connected (for free) to any number of your choosing. This includes any number from Toronto to across Canada and the US. It sounds too good to be true, but Google has pulled it off in such a seamless, slick way that really makes you wonder how this service can be free.
Here's how it works from a highly enthused Google employee:
So to go over that again:
1. Call 1-800-GOOG-411
2. Say Toronto
3. Say a business name (for example, Magic Oven)
4. The friendly Google-tronic voice gives you the matches and connects you with the one you choose.
I've tested it out with a whole bunch of business names around the city, and it nailed all of them, with the exception of one - the CN Tower. Google also cleverly stores information about previous searches you make from your number to customize future calls.
So if you're calling them up constantly and trying to get the number for Pho Rang Dong and are constantly picking the second result among the plethora of other Pho-like numbers across the city, it will begin to offer that number up first (Google does the same sort of thing with its Web-based searches).
The real power of this service is that it will immediately connect you to the number you choose, so you pay nothing to make the call (even if the number's in San Francisco or New York). Presumably, pay phones will be fair game for the service as well.
So what does Google get out of this? Usage data and voice print recognition. They're a very forward-looking company, so being able to record and analyze millions of calls where the users of the system will tell you what they're looking for then offer up a free voice print of that name is extremely valuable to Google.
Photo by Adam Schwabe
Comments (18)
That is simply amazing. I'm already cooing over having installed Google Maps on my PDA and abusing the unlimited data plan...
Google has done nothing but make my life easier with everything they've released. The beauty of the company is the information they gather (and make money off in ad revenue) seems to always go into making more ingenious products.
I just think it's hilarious, at one point weren't Microsoft and Walmart viewed the same way (little different for Walmart I understand)... Hey, I love google, they blow me away, but isn't there a limit to their philanthropy? I just wonder when "we" (collectively) will peg them as another bad guy corporation like so many before... even mac is beginning to show signs of this trend.
I Like this idea..
I think its great that there saving people money in this
"gimmy gimmy gimmy" world.. but the part that scares me
the most about this if anything, is this one simple line:
"being able to record and analyze millions of calls"
can anybody else see how this ~may~ come back to bite
us in the butt ? lol.
Do you really care that Google's recording you looking up the number for a pizza joint? I understand the privacy concerns, but I don't think there's much to worry about here.
If you call up the number and hit * immediately, you're given the option of erasing all previously recorded calls on the number you're calling from. The other option is calling in from a phone where the number is blocked; Google won't be able to trace the call to the number and thus to you.
What Google's doing here is investing in their future as a telecomm provider. It's been said elsewhere (I think somewhere on Wired.com) that Google is building a database of demographic information not only from the 411 service but from just about everything else they provide for free. Information is KING and Google is doing everything it can to build the world's largest demographic database and then sell aggregates of that information for a profit. We as individuals have very little to fear from this as we are not personally being identified- but our behaviours are, and that's where the money is.
What I like best about this service is that you don't need to know the business name... you just say "sushi" and it gives you a list of places nearby.
I'm surprised that noone has yet commented about the iPhone photo operating on what would appear to be Rogers ("Rog...").
Photoshop or someone with an inside connection?
I'm addicted to their text 411 service..text the name of any place in toronto with the city name and province, to googl (46645) - like 'terroni, toronto, on' - and you get the phone # and address txt'd back to you! Sometimes it gets confused by some names but generally works really well and you don't have to use your minutes!
(..no I don't work for google)
Ok, -That- is cool.. a texting 411 service..
I'd go for that.
Does anyone know if it works on older cell's..
(say.. 5190 / 6190 nokia era) ?
Voice recognition is "less than adequate", for smaller towns, that from a native English speaker. Hope this is the "beta" version. My Garmin GPS does a much better job on text to speech. That being said, it's cool!
I hate it when you have to pay for airtime. Good thing, SMS is invented. I heard about this DA service the provides information throughout Canada.Been using it alot lately because it's free,only for this month though.275411(ASK411) is the number. Just type in the city,province and the listing that you need and send it to 275411 and voila! you'll receive a reply containing the phone number you need right away.
Thanks John for that tip. I also used this service and it's pretty cool. Voice recognition and other problems related to calling 411 wasn't a problem anymore. Ask411 using SMS rocks!
View More Events
Suggest an Event
Join the blogTO Flickr group
Join the blogTO YouTube Group
RSS