Free 411: Putting Google and Microsoft to the Test
Google and Microsoft both offer free business directory assistance
services. Which one is better?
Tom Spring, PC World
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 7:00 AM PDT

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138798/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws

Google and Microsoft both launched their free directory assistance
services this week. Google's GOOG-411 (800/466-4411) came out of beta
on Sunday. The next day Microsoft announced its own free directory
assistance service, Live Search 411 (800/225-5411; that's 800/CALL
411). Each offers an attractive alternative to paying the nearly $2
that most mobile carries charge for the service.

Why are the companies giving away these services? Charles Golvin,
analyst with Forrester Research, says in the end it's all about making
money.

A free directory service figures into Google's mobile platform
ambitions. The more you use GOOG-411, the more Google will know about
you. Eventually it will be able to tailor mobile ads to you, Golvin
says.

For its part, Microsoft is eager to push its "voice as a platform"
agenda. Using speech to navigate and retrieve information has long
been a Microsoft ambition, with its launch in 2003 of Voice Command
for mobile handsets. Microsoft has steadily increased its interest in
voice and telephony services, Golvin says.
Test Driving Free 411

I gave both services a real-life test drive. As I navigated suburban
Boston traffic, I attempted to find the phone number of Galilee
Groceries in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

I thought I'd have both services beat with a business name and a town
that I had trouble pronouncing myself.

Google stumbled in the first attempt to find the city and state,
prompting me to repeat myself. It took 1 minute and 7 seconds from the
time I called to when I was connected to the phone number that I
requested.

Microsoft's service found the city and state, but asked me to repeat
the name of the business I was looking for. It took 40 seconds for
Live Search 411 to find and connect me to Galilee Groceries.

Both services use voice recognition and menu prompts to guide you to
the state, city, business, and the phone number you're looking for.
(GOOG-411 also repeats what you say, which is why it took longer than
Live Search 411.) They also both give you the option to have a text
message of the street address and phone number sent to your cell
phone; if you're using a smart phone equipped with a compatible Web
browser, you can click a link to a map that helps you pinpoint the
business's location.
It's a Draw

Which one do I recommend? It comes down to the extras that you find
valuable.

Microsoft's Live Search 411 ties you into a network of voice services
such as weather updates, movie show times, and airline information.
Google's GOOG-411 is sparse by comparison, offering business listings
and that's it.

Microsoft's automated voice sounded human, while Google's sounded
stiff and robotic.

Google may not offer as many bells and whistles, but that can be a
good thing. The less these services offered, the less likely they were
to stumble. For example, Microsoft's Live Search 411 lets you send a
text message of the directory listing that you looked up to another
cell phone. When I tried this feature I quickly got bogged down into
repeating myself and having to direct the service to go back. In the
confusion, Live Search 411 sent a SMS text message to my own phone.
And as I paused, wondering what to say, the service unceremoniously
cut me off with "Thanks for using Live Search, good-bye."

Want another option? Jingle Networks offers free business and
residential listings via 1-800-FREE-411 (800/373-3411)--but it doesn't
connect the call, and you have to sit through advertisements.