Live Search 411 = Microsoft's answer to GOOG-411

Highlights

• Call 1-800-CALL-411 for free from any phone
• Connect directly to businesses for free
• Share listings with friends
• Receive SMS links maps, driving directions and traffic conditions by saying "text me the info"
• Hear current weather and forecasts
• Find movie showtimes and get tickets
• Search by business name, type and narrow listings by city, neighborhood, or street

MP3 audio demos

• Ice cream search
• Movie showtimes and tickets
• Share listings with friend

More information

• Live Search 411 Official site
• Microsoft Live Search Official Blog: Announcing Live Search 411 (1-800-CALL-411)
• Microsoft Press Release: Microsoft Releases New Search Services for Internet and Mobile Customers: Latest releases complete fall updates for Liver Search service, including, voice search and location-aware technology

Related Google

• Google GOOG-411 (1-800-GOOG-411)
• Google Groups: goog411
• YouTube: 1-800-GOOG-411: Google's 411 service

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©2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Skip the VUI

You know the drill: you had to call customer service for your cable, your bank, your ISP, your medical insurance, or your cellphone company. You call the 1-800 number and now you are stuck with the VUI (voice user interface). It's another annoying thing in life that you really won't want to deal with.

Well, now you can skip the phone trees. Here's how it works (from BRINGO: Stop Talking to Machines and Talk to Real Human):

1. Find the company you'd like to call by category (credit cards, mortgages, loans, health care)


2. Enter your phone # (we will never disclose your phone number to anyone, not even your mother!).


3. Wait a few seconds while we navigate the phone tree.


4. When we call you back, pick up your phone and you're done. No more phone trees.

All the major banks (Citi, Bank of America, etc), Credit cards (Amex, Capitol One, etc), Mobile (Sprint, Cingular, etc), Airlines (Air France, UA, Delta, JAL, etc) are all listed with this service and I suspect that the list will only keep growing as businesses try to demonstrate that the customer is king.