Stop calling your friends for information, get it on the go

March 04, 2008, by itsnearme

---

Imagine visiting NYC and trying to find a restaurant that was recommended, you know that you are on the right block, but can’t seem to find it. In such situations, you usually ask the hotel concierge, passersby on the street, a friend who is familiar with the area or call 411 for help. No need to do that, you can “Google it” right from your mobile phone with a simple text message and get a response in seconds

Google SMS for mobile phones is a quick information service. It offers access to Google’s powerful search engine via a simple text message (also known as SMS, Short Messaging Service) from a mobile phone anytime and any place in the USA. Currently, the service is in English only.
Google text message service is not the same as the web-version of google.com where search results typically include links to websites. Google SMS results are text-only and are more suitable for specialized questions that have one (or a few) answers like residential listings, movie times, weather forecasts, flights information, stock quotes, measurements, etc.

Send a text message to Google with a search request and the answer will be sent back in seconds. In order to ensure more accurate information, requests should include location: zip code, street, city or other. Google saves frequently used locations and the user is able to set a default location for future requests (in case you mention location to the message). If there are multiple results, Google will send back up to 7 result text messages. Google SMS detects spelling mistakes with its well known “did you mean….” phrase – this is a big advantage when the search includes a name which you are not sure how to spell.

Google SMS is a great service, but has its disadvantages as well. There have been cases when Google took 30 minutes to reply to a query. When out of town, users need to enter the zip code or city of the location they are in; this could be painful if looking for “burger king Huntington” - you'll get the same results whether you're in Huntington, New York or Huntington Beach, California.

How to use this service?

Google SMS service is a 4-step process:

• create a text message on your mobile phone
• in the “To” field enter the number 46645 (same as GOOGL) or 466453 a (or GOOGLE)
• In the body of the message write your question, examples below
• you’re done! Wait for your reply
• (you can text “set a location [zip code or city]” to save your location)

Examples of text body in [brackets]:

• Stock Quotes: Stock ticker symbols - example: [GOOG] or [stock GOOG]
• Residential Listings: First name, last name, location - example: [John Doe Atlanta GA] Or reverse search by using phone number - example: [212 555 1234]
• Q&A: Answers to questions covering a broad assortment of topics such as authors, inventors, populations - example: [population of Germany] or [who wrote Hamlet]
• Product prices: Keyword [price] followed by product name, ISBN or UPC code, Example: [price ipod nano 8gb] or [price 1740594835]
• Definitions: Keyword [define] followed by a word or phrase to be defined, Example: [define incorrigible]
• Translations: Source to destination language, - example: [translate search into French] or [t], as in [t search into German]
• Conversions: Currency conversions - example: [9.99 EUR in USD]. Standards conversions, such as [100 F in Celsius] or [20 feet in meters]
• Calculator: Simple calculations - example: [14 * 1.08] or complex calculations that include standard conversions - example: [5 feet 8 inches in cm]

Pros:

• free targeted Google search anywhere
• turns mobile phone into a powerful LBS tool
• business listing search works great

Cons:

• movie times results hard to understand
• some quires were answered after 30 minutes
• need to manually enter location for every location relevant query

Check it out: www.google.com/mobile/sms/

What's the damage? Free

Coverage area: USA

Access requirements: Mobile phone

ItsNearMe rating: 4.5 out of 5

Comments:

Mar 7, 2008 10:12 AM:

411? Do people still use that? 46645 is definitely the way to go! I use it all the time and it has never failed to give me the number I was looking for.

-- Heather B

---

Mar 6, 2008 10:53 PM:

That rocks. Sounds much easier than messing with a web browser for quick information. Currency conversion sounds real handy.

-- Buck

---

Mar 6, 2008 05:08 PM:

The service's killer app is definitely its 411-replacement power. The flight status feature is phenomenal too. Movie times are a bit clunky. Google sends ~10 listings at a time. To get details or another batch you reply with the movie number or "NEXT" (just call good old 777-FILM).

-- AT

---

Mar 6, 2008 04:51 PM:

thanks for your comments, BM - the free 411 number is great but it requires you to listen to advertisement at the beginning of the call...

-- ItsNearMe

---

Mar 6, 2008 04:35 PM:

This sounds like a great service and something I'll try out. If it does take long for Google to respond, there is also a free 411 number that you can use - 1-800-373-3411.

-- BM

---

Mar 6, 2008 02:51 PM:

This service is very good. I find it especially useful to find movie times while out to dinner - fantastic for those of us who strive to be spontaneous. Also - 411 now costs $1.25 per call or something absurd - so the fact this service is free and convenient puts it heads and shoulders above 411.

-- Keith G.

---

Mar 6, 2008 02:14 PM:

It is true the service is great, I am using it all the time in order to find listings without the need to call 411

-- Jhon Gitara

---

Posted by itsnearme on March 4, 2008 08:54 AM