GOOG-411

The nation's leading online search engine, Google, has another product that will revolutionize the way we search. Its called GOOG-411, a free information directory assitant. The number to dial is 1-800-GOOG-411 and its operated by V-Enable which provides voice-activated search and 411 services. The directory assistance industry has grown from $9.4 Billion, last year, to $13 Billion. Customers used to pay for this service, but now the target is on local ad support. GOOG-411 is fully automated (no human operator backup). There have been rumors on the street that Yahoo! has hired top Tellme execs to develop a similar service. Here is an in-depth description from Google Labs:

Google Voice Local Search is Google’s experimental service to make local-business search accessible over the phone.
To try this service, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone.
Using this service, you can:
search for a local business by name or category.You can say "Giovanni's Pizzeria" or just "pizza".
get connected to the business, free of charge.
get the details by SMS if you’re using a mobile phone.Just say "text message".
And it's free. Google doesn’t charge you a thing for the call or for connecting you to the business. Regular phone charges may apply, based on your telephone service provider.
Note: Google Voice Local Search is still in its experimental stage. It may not be available at all times and may not work for all users. We’re fine-tuning the service to get better at recognizing your requests. It’s currently only available in English, in the US, for US business listings.

I really like this idea. Google is known for its search services and I like how they can stick to their specialty and still shine. What do you think of Google's latest addition to the family?