Topic: Forget Google on the Desktop. Google on your Cell Phone

[Gambler]

My wife gets Bob Rankin's Internet Tourbus and this week it had a big write up about the new Google SMS service.

             TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Google SMS
You've got a burning question... but you're stuck somewhere with no
internet connection.  News Flash... Google SMS lets you search the
web from your mobile phone!

Google SMS serves up answers to specialized queries, and it's as
simple as sending a text message.  Even if you don't have web access
on your cell phone or mobile device, you can send your query as a
text message and get phone book listings, dictionary definitions,
product prices and more.
OK, upfront disclaimer time.  Google SMS is still in beta (test mode)
and only works on major wireless providers in the USA, namely AT&T,
Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, and Verizon.  The good news
is you don't need a brand-new fancy phone with web browsing built in.
Google SMS should work on almost any mobile or handheld, as long as
you have the ability to send and receive text messages.
--------------------------
MUST... HAVE... PIZZA!!!
--------------------------
And wings, please, with medium sauce.  So let's try a query.  We'll
find a nearby pizza joint in New Paltz, NY.  Send your text message
to 46645 (the numbers spell "GOOGL") like this:
pizza new paltz ny
Or, if you know the zipcode, you can shorten it to:
pizza 12561
You'll get your answer in a reply text message, usually within a few
seconds in a format like this:
(1of2) Google Local:
Village Pizza 81 North
Chestnut St. New Paltz
NY 12561 (845) 255-3100
Gourmet Pizza 68 Main
Str New Paltz NY 12561
(845) 255-2666
The "1of2" tells you to look for another message labelled "2of2" with
more results. You may get up to four responses.
-------------
86ing 4-1-1
-------------
Google SMS also serves up business and residential phone listings.
Why would anyone ever call the phone company for information and
*pay* for it, when Google SMS is free?  Here are some examples:
Starbucks 02116
Home Depot Topeka KS
Or to find publicly listed phone numbers and addresses for residences
in the US, try a query like one of these.  Specify all the info you
know to increase the chances of a successful search.  Note that you
can omit first name, use an initial, specify the city and/or state,
or just the zipcode or area code.
john smith palo alto ca
smith 10940
j smith 914
845-343-2623
------------------------
Lampshade Now Optional
------------------------
Google SMS will make you the life of the party when people around you
notice your skill at retrieving dictionary definitions and doing price
comparisons.  "Hey Alice, Bob just looked up the word 'bloviate' using
his cell phone!"
define bloviate
If you're in a store bargain hunting, Google SMS will access Froogle
to search millions of products from stores on the web. The results
contain no ads, just current prices for products available online.
price dvd player
price delonghi coffee maker
price 27 inch sony television
----------------
SMS to Impress
----------------
Suppose that girl at the party is just not impressed that you can get
phone listings and compare coffee makers with your phone.  What if
she says "Well that's fine, but what about the moons of Uranus?"  Not
a problem... Snippets to the rescue!  A snippet is an excerpt from the
results page when you do a search on Google.  You don't get the full
web results and you can't click on any of the links,  but sometimes
the answer to your question will be found in the snippets.  Happily,
G moons of uranus
returns this:
Google Web: * The Moons
of Uranus-The following
image (Ref) shows the 5
largest satellites of
Uranus: Miranda, Ariel,
Umbriel, Titania, and
Oberon...
Surely that will leave her speechless.  Here are some other snippet
search examples:
G mother in law's day
G population fresno ca
G latitude podunk ny
---------------------
It Slices, It Dices
---------------------
My old, clunky cell phone doesn't have a calculator.  But Google SMS
does.  The calculator can solve basic math problems, convert units
of measure and other fun stuff.  Some examples:
52134*98.6
23967/12
2^20
sqrt(490)
half a cup in teaspoons
2 gallons in liters
Query with an area code and see the region that area code covers.
914
415
Or query by zipcode and get results for the area that zip covers.
12486
94404
If you forget any of the Google SMS commands, just send 'help' as a
text message to 46645 and you'll receive instructions and tips on how
to use the service.  Oh, and if your phone is configured to add a
signature to outgoing text messages, you'll have to turn that off to
receive Google SMS results

It works great on my wife's tMobile phone, but my work phone (AllTell) isn't supported.

[Blyre]

That's nothing. There are programs out there like 1KTV that can be downloaded and installed directly to cell phones to allow the user to watch television over them. In some cases, even cable programs and movies.

No flying cars yet, but man did the cell phone become so widely versatile.

Wallace