Google adds SMS search

(October 11 2004) Google is currently testing a service in the US that lets you send in an SMS mobile/cellular phone message and get search results in return.

These are not regular Web pages though. Reading Pandia through on a WAP mobile phone is hard at best, reducing it to SMS messages would be plain out impossible.

Instead you may ask for phone book listings, dictionary definitions, product prices and more.

To get a business listing you may for instance search for a specific company (McDonalds) or a general term (pizza). Google asks you to include both a city and state, or a zip code.

If you want to make sure you get results from Google's local search service, put a period between the business name and the location ('pizza.10013' or 'pottery barn.boston ma')'.

Here are some examples, as given by Google:

• pizza new york ny (to find a business)
• pizza.10013 (to find a business)
• Pottery Barn 02116 (to find a business)
• Pottery Barn.Boston MA (to find a business)
• B Walsh, 90210 (for phone number and address)
• john smith palo alto ca (for phone number and address)
• 650-555-1234 (reverse phone number lookup)
• Price ipod 20gb (Froogle comparison shopping. Instead of "price" or "prices" you may write an "F" for Froogle)
• define prosimian (definitions, alternatively: "D prosimian")
• G population San Francisco (to get a text excerpt from the returned Google search results page)
• 5+2*2 (calculator)
• 617 (area code look-up to see the region that US phone area code covers)
• 94404 (zip code look-up to see the area that zip code covers)
• help (to receive instructions and tips on how to use the SMS service)

In the US you may send the SMS to US shortcode 46645 (which corresponds to GOOGL on most American phones)

Google does not charge for the service, although your wireless provider's standard rates for sending and receiving text messages still apply.

Google SMS: How to Use
Google PDF SMS tips sheet
Google SMS: Frequently Asked Questions

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