Google Search By Number

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Posted by Zonk on Friday April 15, 2005 @05:11AM from the google,-where-are-my-car-keys? dept.

fizz writes "Well, Google has done it again. This time, simply enter any tracking number or id number into the Google search box, and Voila! You have a link to the shipper and tracking information. They have a funny little mom/son tech talk bit on the blog about this."

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Not a new feature by Anonymous Coward · 2005-04-15 05:12 · Score: 5, Informative

Favorite Hidden Google Features?

Just because someone's mom doesn't know something about Google doesn't make it new.
Not news by LordNimon · 2005-04-15 05:13 · Score: 3, Informative

Google has had this feature for a very long time. I don't see how this is news.

--
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
Really old news by jamesl · 2005-04-15 05:19 · Score: 4, Informative

Google search on "google package tracking" yields this December 11, 2003 Google Weblog post.

http://google.blogspace.com/archives/001089/
Re:Privacy Concerns? by alphakappa · 2005-04-15 05:43 · Score: 3, Informative

Correction: Google does not crawl and find that information - it merely recognizes the number as a UPS/Fedex/whatever number and links you to the appropriate page on the UPS/Fedex/whatever website. Note that the remote page (the shipping company's) is generated dynamically only when you enter the tracking number, and only you and the shipper know that number. Google merely saves you the trouble of manually entering the number in a search box by directly generating the search URL for you.

Rest assured that no one can crawl those pages since those pages don't exist until you create them with your number.

--
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
Good for IDing computer componets to find drivers by bach37 · 2005-04-15 06:00 · Score: 3, Informative

If you have ever tried to locate drivers or a manufac for an unknown piece of hardware, you can find the brand and model with its FCC number, which is required to be on the hardware. Good for computer geeks!