Google To Shut Down 411 Service

taco8982 writes "After three years of providing free directory assistance in exchange for voice samples, Google has announced plans to shut down the GOOG-411 service, in order to focus on 'speech-enabling the next generation of Google products and services across a multitude of languages.' The service will close on November 12th."

Re:Sad day

[datapharmer]

unless you have tmobile prepaid or another carrier that blocks this so they can charge for 411.

Re:Smartphones

[Yocto Yotta]

Hardly. When driving, I'd use voice activation to dial GOOG411 and be able to connect to any publicly listed number I desire without laying another finger on my phone. That's all sorts of awesome I can't do any other way right now. Well, for free anyhow.

Things just got more complicated

[BcNexus]

In other words, google is making it a lot more complicated and inconvenient. My current WinMo phone does this better. Let's compare.

Currently, if I want to reach a company, I use one type of interaction: voice interaction. It goes like this:
1. I tell my phone, "Call GOOG 411." My phone asks me if I want to call "GOOG 411" or whatever and gives me a chance to confirm or correct myself.
2. I ask GOOG 411 for "Company X, Anytown USA"
3. I listen to the results. Google gives me a chance to verify them and correct myself.
4. I say which result I want. Google calls the business for me.
All that without taking my eyes off of what I'm doing (walking, driving, doing the dishes, taking out the trash).

Soon, when I want to reach a company, I'll have to do a more complicated routine:
1. Launch Voice Search (VS for short).
2. Ask for "Company X, Anytown USA."
3. Voice Search terminates.
4. To review the results on the screen, I have to take my eyes off what I am doing.
5. If they're incorrect, I'm out of luck. My current VS session has ended and I need to start over.
6. Assuming I found what I wanted, I try to remember the phone number of the business I want to reach.
7. I launch Voice Actions (VA for short).
8. I tell Voice Actions to dial the ten digit number I've hopefully remembered.
9. VA doesn't ask me if it understood me correctly. I watch the screen to see if has. If VA got it wrong, I have to launch VA again.

This is ridiculous. Notice how Google has made me take twice as many steps to reach a business. Notice how Google is forcing me to mix three types of interaction: -Voice interaction to initiate search and make the call
-Screen viewing to check the results
-Touch interaction to scroll through the results

What a step back in functionality this is! I hope Google is paying attention and fixes this. Until they do, I have good reason to stick with my WinMo phone. It does hands-free stuff better.

Re:what?

[bev_tech_rob]

Agreed! I used it alot instead of shelling out $1.50 for 411 calls via Verizon..... crap....

Re:Smartphones

[GweeDo]

It is far more a victim of Google Voice Search on Android 2.2. The fact that I can say to my phone "Call Linex in Olathe, KS" and three seconds later it is dialing is simply to fantastic. The GOOG411 experiment gave them the testing they needed to make it a full fledge smartphone service that is only a small part of Voice Search.

Re:Things just got more complicated

[Asdanf]

Actually on Android the current flow is
1. Hold down search button.
2. Say "Call Company X, Anytown USA"

So, they halved the number of steps required and removed the listening requirement.

Re:Nuance and IBM

[BadAnalogyGuy]

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that the syncing software was low hanging fruit for MS. Moto included something that they shouldn't have, and to make a point MS sued them. The point, of course, being that it's DANGEROUS to use Android and it's a PATENT MINEFIELD because no one really knows what's in it and MICROSOFT WILL INDEMNIFY YOU if you use WinMo.

The thing with HTC seems to be more related to the revenge of a spurned lover than anything else. With Moto, though, the goal seems to be about increasing the uncertainty surrounding Android.