Google Launches SMS Search Service

jSpectre writes "Google's been busy introducing a lot of new things this week. The latest, a SMS search service. SMS a message to 46645 (googl) and find local business listings, product prices, dictionary definitions, and more. Go Google!"

Comments

Slashdotting Google with my cell phone

[RobertB-DC]

I'm sure Google will be able to handle it. But I wonder what Verizon & co will think about the sudden spike in SMS activity?

Probably, they'll be thinking about the 12c they're getting from me for each one -- 10 for the outgoing, 2 for the incoming. Crap. Well, it's better than the $1.50 (or so) every time my wife decides to call 411. Drives me nuts when she does that...

Re:Slashdotting Google with my cell phone

[bunyip]

Probably, they'll be thinking about the 12c they're getting from me for each one -- 10 for the outgoing, 2 for the incoming. Crap. Well, it's better than the $1.50 (or so) every time my wife decides to call 411. Drives me nuts when she does that...

Very interesting. Could Google have partnered with the phone company to get their slice of your 12 cents? Anybody know of other companies that moght have already offered services like this?

Alan.

Re:Slashdotting Google with my cell phone

[tool462]

I have signed up with a website that provides SMS messages with traffic updates. Since I have a long commute, it's handy to get notification that a major accident has occurred on my route home, so I can work around it. However, my (former) wireless provider--the always wonderful AT&T Wireless--decided that these SMS messages were spam, assumably because of the volume. They now block the IP address that the website is sending the messages from, despite the company's repeated attempts to correct the situation and many customer complaints. We'll see how they respond to this new spike in usage.

Re:Slashdotting Google with my cell phone

[eae]

SMS:es are sent using signaling, rather than over a dedicated communications channel, like voice and data.
Thus there is very little overhead and theres no real limit of the number of messages that can be sent simultaneously (like there is for voice/data channels), and thats also why there's a 160 char limit.

Ubiquitous Google

[metlin]

Google seems to be entering just about every area.

Maybe their idea is to make sure that they are well established in several areas in a way that they are indispensable - the best search engine, good e-mail service, business tools and what not.

That way, even if Google did risk crashing down, or if something did happen, people would like not that happening. That, and the benign image they portray, may work to their favour.

I'm talking through my hat, ofcourse.

Free?

[Gaima]

With Google becoming a "proper business" now I'm actually quite amazed they're not charging for this. I would.
I know it doesn't cost them much, you pay for the outgoing and incoming messages after all, but would you miss the cost of one extra message per search? Ignoring special deals, and inter-network rates, that's about 12p in the UK.
Could probably even generate a higher per search revenue stream than the ads.
Seems like a natural, and non-evil, way to make some money to me...

Google won't be another Netscape

[ShatteredDream]

Google learned from Netscape's mistakes and instead of going to the government crying about MSN is constantly working on beating Microsoft to new markets in aways that tie the new markets back to Google's old original base. Knowing how competitive Google is, one would think that Microsoft, which talked about buying them out or competing directly against them, would just accept Google's existance and work with them to save money. At the rate Google is going, it'll probably be the one battle that Microsoft can't win.

Re:A natural progression

[Fortress]

Google is clearly aiming to be the information center for the connected/wired world

How long until we all complain about Google's monopoly of the Internet?

I like Google, but it's now a publicly held company, meaning it's responsibilities are now to the shareholders. I fear that Google will be taken over by suits who want to use all of Google's information and influence for insidious purposes. It may be only a matter of time before the corporate culture changes from "Do no evil" to "Do what's profitable and hide it if it's evil."

Re:Not knowing what to say, I sent it 'pizza'

[Tony Hoyle]

In the UK some phone companies already do this as part of their basic service.

You go to the WAP screen, select 'food','pizza' and you get a list of all the pizza places nearby.

I've used it for taxis, ATMs, etc. it's really handy.

Macros for cell phones?

[rafikki]

What do you think the odds are of some cell phones makers starting to introduce a simplified interface for this? That might be a possibility for Google to make some money, partnering with makers to slap the Goole trademark on their phones. Normally someone might have to pay to put their label or trademark on someone else's product, but with Google's name-brand recognition...

Flight information

[DarthBart]

Can't wait till they get real time flight information into it. Nothing like being able to SMS "COA123" and get the flight's location and ETA based on what's coming in from the FAA data feeds.

Does *not* work on Verizon

[Dr. Mortimer]

I noticed that I got no result replies on my Verizon phone when I searched for "pizza 60603". I called Verizon and spoke with a lead SMS/data tech to ask why it didn't work. They said that they do not support this and that they would not unless they entered into some sort of formal contract with Google. My big question is: what does it take for Verizon to actually give something useful to its users for no extra charge?!