Search engine Google announced Friday that it was opening to the U.S. public a test of a phone directory service that will let users find information on local businesses.
The voice-activated service, called Google Voice Local Search, is accessible from landlines or mobile phones via 1-800-GOOG-411. A post on the Google Labs blog site said users can search for a local business by name or category and get connected to the business without a charge from Google, although carrier charges will apply.
Mobile users can also get speak “text message” to get business details sent to handsets in an SMS message.
While there are no announced plans yet to deliver advertising on the experimental service, Google has reportedly been testing audio ads in two local markets on the Jingle Networks 1-800-FREE411 directory.
Google Labs stressed that the service is being made available to the general public because the voice-recognition platform is still in a field test phase. “We’re fine-tuning the service to get better at recognizing your requests,” the post says.
In March, Microsoft announced it would acquire privately-held speech recognition maker TellMe Networks for a reported price in the range of $800 million.
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