Search by Phone: Google Voice Local Search Launches

[mandy]

Google has quietly launched Google Voice Local Search, an experimental service that allows people to search for local businesses over the phone. There are no ads on the service, which is available only in the U.S. To use it people can dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone and search for a business by name or category and be connected to the business at no charge. Users can also get the search results and additional details over SMS if they are on a mobile phone.

Microsoft also has local voice search through the TellMe service it bought last month, notes Search Engine Land, which broke the Google Voice Local Search news on Friday. "Google's experimental entry into voice-based mobile search (free directory assistance [DA]) establishes a clear competitive landscape, which will likely mean a further decline in call volumes and revenues for traditional mobile directory assistance, as consumers become more aware of the availability of these free services,"...

full article: http://news.com.com/2061-10803_3-6174124.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news

The Google Voice Local Search home page: http://labs.google.com/goog411/