Google Launches Free 800-Number Local Search

Google has launched a free local search service that you can access via 1-800-GOOG-411 (800.466.4411). It’s simple, does only one thing, and isn’t perfect, but it could be the start of a very useful service. You call, give your city and state, followed by a business name or category, and the automated voice starts giving you search results. Sometimes, if it isn’t a dictionary word, the voice guy has trouble making any sense, but the voice recognition seems very solid.
Google’s big competitor in this space is TellMe, which is advertising its competing business search, and was just bought by Microsoft. I love TellMe, but I’m really not liking their business search, which suffers from voice recognition problems, and the annoying habit of asking you what city and state, and later street you are looking for, regardless of previous searches. Still, that’s not what I […]

Original post by Nathan Weinberg