GOOG-411
Encyclopedia
GOOG-411 was a telephone
service launched by Google
in 2007, that provided a speech-recognition
-based business directory search
, and placed a call to the resulting number in the United States
or Canada
. The service was accessible via a toll-free telephone number
. It was an alternative to 4-1-1
, an often-expensive service provided by local
and long-distance phone companies, and was therefore commonly known as Google 411. This service was discontinued on November 12, 2010.
s 800-466-4411 or 877-466-4411 (800-GOOG-411 and 877-GOOG-411) or the local number 425
-296-4774 were asked for the city and state of the sought business. Users were also able to search for by business name or category, which generated a list of up to eight search results. Search was also invoked by using the keypad
if the user preferred. This worked in a similar manner to predictive text
input on a cellular phone. Users were able to select the destination by speaking or pressing the number that corresponded to the desired result. Once the destination was selected, the service placed a call to the business or returned a text message
with the phone number. Alternatively, users were able to listen to the street address and phone number by saying "details". U.S. users could narrow search results by ZIP code
or street intersection
.
Although Google’s FAQ
stated that users were able to prevent their phone number from being saved by blocking their caller ID
, this is ineffective when calling the 800 number (due to ANI
) and only works when calling the other two.
The service announced that the call may be recorded
for the purpose of service improvements.
Google advised users not to use the service for emergency call
s, recommending that they call 9-1-1
.
database from users' voice queries. This phoneme database, in turn, allowed Google engineers to refine and improve the speech recognition engine that Google uses to index audio content for searching.
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
service launched by Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
in 2007, that provided a speech-recognition
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
-based business directory search
Directory assistance
In telecommunications, directory assistance or directory enquiries is a phone service used to find out a specific telephone number and/or address of a residence, business, or government entity.-Technology:...
, and placed a call to the resulting number in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The service was accessible via a toll-free telephone number
Toll-free telephone number
A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
. It was an alternative to 4-1-1
4-1-1
4-1-1 is the telephone number for local directory assistance in the United States and Canada. One exception is the Pacific Northwest, which used 1-1-3 until the mid-1980s. Until the early 1980s, 4-1-1 calls were free in most states....
, an often-expensive service provided by local
Local exchange carrier
Local Exchange Carrier is a regulatory term in telecommunications for the local telephone company.In the United States, wireline telephone companies are divided into two large categories: long distance and local...
and long-distance phone companies, and was therefore commonly known as Google 411. This service was discontinued on November 12, 2010.
History
GOOG 411 had been assisting people with attaining phone numbers since 2007. On November 12, 2010, GOOG-411 shut down its service. While Google did not provide an official reason for the shut down, many believe that Google had simply gathered enough voice samples for its research purposes. Google now operates a similar service from SMS number 466453.Operations
Users who called the toll-free telephone numberToll-free telephone number
A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
s 800-466-4411 or 877-466-4411 (800-GOOG-411 and 877-GOOG-411) or the local number 425
Area code 425
Area code 425 is a telephone dialing code in Washington for the suburbs north and east of Seattle, particularly the Eastside, extending east to North Bend, north to Everett, and south to Maple Valley....
-296-4774 were asked for the city and state of the sought business. Users were also able to search for by business name or category, which generated a list of up to eight search results. Search was also invoked by using the keypad
Keypad
A keypad is a set of buttons arranged in a block or "pad" which usually bear digits, symbols and usually a complete set of alphabetical letters. If it mostly contains numbers then it can also be called a numeric keypad...
if the user preferred. This worked in a similar manner to predictive text
Predictive text
Predictive text is an input technology used where one key or button represents many letters, such as on mobile phones and in accessibility technologies. Each key press results in a prediction rather than repeatedly sequencing through the same group of "letters" it represents, in the same,...
input on a cellular phone. Users were able to select the destination by speaking or pressing the number that corresponded to the desired result. Once the destination was selected, the service placed a call to the business or returned a text message
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
with the phone number. Alternatively, users were able to listen to the street address and phone number by saying "details". U.S. users could narrow search results by ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
or street intersection
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
.
Although Google’s FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
stated that users were able to prevent their phone number from being saved by blocking their caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
, this is ineffective when calling the 800 number (due to ANI
Automatic number identification
Automatic number identification is a feature of telephony intelligent network services that permits subscribers to display or capture the billing telephone number of a calling party. In the United States it is part of Inward Wide Area Telephone Service . ANI service was created by AT&T for...
) and only works when calling the other two.
The service announced that the call may be recorded
Call recording software
Call recording software records telephone conversations over PSTN or VoIP in a digital audio file format. Call recording is distinct from call logging and tracking, which record details about the call but not the conversation; however, software may include both recording and logging...
for the purpose of service improvements.
Google advised users not to use the service for emergency call
Emergency Call
Emergency Call is a British film released in 1952 by Nettlefold Films. The film was directed by Lewis Gilbert and stars Jack Warner in a familiar role playing a policeman, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton and Sid James as a dubious boxing promoter....
s, recommending that they call 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
.
Business model
Google had stated that the company originally implemented GOOG-411 to build a large phonemePhoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
database from users' voice queries. This phoneme database, in turn, allowed Google engineers to refine and improve the speech recognition engine that Google uses to index audio content for searching.
See also
- 1-800-FREE-4111-800-FREE-4111-800-FREE-411 is an American service offering advertising supported directory assistance operated by Marchex.-Service:Callers dial 1-800/888/866-FREE411 from any phone in the United States to use the toll-free service. Sponsors cover part of the service cost by playing advertising messages during...
- 800-The-Info800-The-Info800-The-Info was a toll-free directory assistance and information service provided in the United States by Verizon. 800-The-Info was subsidized by businesses that purchase advertising space on the service. Callers did not pay for the service, but had to listen to ads...
- Bing Mobile
- List of speech recognition software
- Tellme NetworksTellme NetworksTellme. Networks, Inc. is a company founded in 1999 by Mike McCue and Angus Davis, based out of Mountain View, California, in the United States, that specializes in telephone-based applications....