Lost in all the excitement around today’s public preview launch of Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, was the subsequent launch of Bing 411. This is a direct swipe at another Google product, GOOG-411.
Both are free and both use speech-to-text technology and voice recognition to completely automate directory assistance calls. GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) has been going for a while, and is surprisingly intuitive. It keeps adding features like nearby intersections.
Bing 411 (1-800-246-4411) gives you local business listings, as well as local traffic, weather, and movie listings. The voice is a little more obviously computer-generated than Google’s, but it also can get you a phone number, address, or directions. It also tells you how many stars the business has in average reviews. What’s more, the second time you call, it remembers your last request and you can ask for “saved searches.” It is a voice-activated Bing for local business searches.
I tried it out, and it was able to find the Trader Joe’s near my Brooklyn apartment. But it had trouble with a french restaurant, Bar Tabac, (which Goog-411 also couldn’t understand or find). If it doesn’t understand your search, it takes you to a decision tree, asking you what type of service you are looking for. I find this highly unsatisfying in voice-activated user interfaces. My suggestion for either service: if they don’t’ understand your request right off the bat, just bail and call 1800-FREE-411 or another 411 service. It will be much faster, even if you have to pay 50 cents.
Bing is on to something…I like it so far…
I changed my home page to Bing but have had to go to Google about 10 times today because Bing came up short. Just sayin…
Ravi was probably refering to Bing 411, not the web propery.
Anyway, my 2c is to try to make your investment (either in Google, or Bing) a little more long term. Going back to Google 10 times a day is likely a waste of time; work on refining your queries in whatever engine you use for a while. I’ve been productive w/ Bing (and before that Live Search, and before that Google, and before that Altavista)… and the only time I was measureably inefficient is when I double-checked results.
I have not called a 411 service in ages, can someone explain to me the value add over just Googling the damn thing?
Why fumble with voice recognition, when I can just run a search?
[if you have a smartphone, I assume]
Well, if you are driving, you could use it…that’s the only thing i could think off… Otherwise use your smart phone and get directions…
You just answered your own question. Not everyone has a smartphone. And sometimes all you want is a number.
Hi Eric, I see we get along as always. Anyway, my point is this: the people who know about Goog411, Bing411, and Free411 *have* smartphones. If I asked any non tech person what Goog411 was, they might think it was a type of cancer.
I don’t actually, I am still using primitive phones. I live in the Bay Area and a Software Engineer
Well, that is by choice, right? So it does not really disprove what I am saying: only techies know about obscure Google and Microsoft search related products.
Alex- Ever heard of word of mouth? If 10,000 techies know about a service, don’t you think a few of them will fire off a tweet, status update, email, text to friends they know that can use it. Then once those non-techies have the info, it spreads like wild fire. Get with it.
Alex has a point.
I’ve told around 25 people about Goog411. So far, only those with smart phones have responded, and only a minority of those.
Josh – no one is on twitter other than the techno-geeks anyway.
Alex- how can you say that all the people that know about these 411s ALL have smartphones? C’mon now!
I don’t have a smart phone and have used Free411 many times. Almost did just yesterday to confirm an exit number, but then my wife remembered a business that was just before it. I also know MANY non-smartphone users that have Free411 in their address books. Care to say you were way over reaching?
Not true. The first time I heard of 1800-Free-411 was the Tyra Banks Show on antenna TV.*
Viral isn’t limited to the internet.
*No idea why
“Why fumble with voice recognition, when I can just run a search?”
- Hands-free scenarios.
- Eyes-free scenarios.
- Any scenario where you might have to hands free or eyes free after you’ve started.
- Because it’s faster sometimes. It’s remarkably good at finding local businesses, and more importantly getting a ring tone with that business, where you may ask a question of a semi-intelligent human.
To my last point, I’ve raced someone with an iPhone to get business hours for a store w/ what was Live-411, and won. One data point only, but he was still messing with pins on the map, while I was talking to a person at the store about the hours.
This is how it works:
Apple pushes MS buttons, the industry mock MS, they pull Windows 7 from the trenches.
Google swipes at MS Office with free online tools and the industry mocks MS, they pull Bing from the heavens.
When a company has billions in cash laying around and a history of destoying competition, here’s a hint: Don’t go up against with MS, they won’t stop until they beat the sh!t out of you.
Last I checked, Apple and Google were faring pretty well against Microsoft….
Two words:
Netscape
Lotus
William Blanchard said…
history of destroying competition
Yep, that is how the free market is supposed to work. Competition, competition and more competition if that means destroying your competitors via consumer voluntary actions of what they choose to buy. The only non-voluntary destruction of wealth and competitions only take place in countries that have less respect for property rights. To compete is to innovate and that is what Microsoft is doing. If Microsoft doesn’t want to compete in the search domain thus preferring to throw in the towel to Google, then we wouldn’t have witnessed the arrival of Bing, would we?
It’s called “Creative Destruction.” A healthy respect for the necessity of competition is even more essential to its success than property rights. Google understands this very well and they have no interest in increasing market share (increasing the size of the pie is another matter). Microsoft, for its part, seems to have caught on to the concept since the Netscape/IE wars, though they still prefer “black box” proprietary solutions to open source.
William – perfect! I totally agree with you. As you said, if someone pushes MS too hard, then they need to pay the price.
I just tried Bing-411 and it absolutely rocks. Much much better than Goog-411. Specifically, booking movie tickets is as easy as online booking. Microsoft has now started kicking Google’s ass
Microsoft already had CALL-411, I assume this is the Bing version of that existing service.
I won’t swear by it, but I think Microsoft’s CALL-411 predated GOOG-411
I give Bing 6 months until MSFT starts looking for an alternative. A Yahoo acquisition? .
The PR attack is working, though.
I was wrong…Looks like GOOG-411 was out days before CALL-411 http://news.cne...9797840-26.html
From what I can tell this new enhanced service (Microsoft has had Live411 (1-800-225-5411)* for some time is now using more of the features that TellMe has offered for many years. TellMe is still live at 1-800-555-Tell. MSFT acquired TellMe in March, 2007.
* Live411 now answers as Bing411.
I agree with William – not a knock on Google they’ve done an amazing job building a brand for search, but search is not an OS. i.e., there’s no switching cost. I think I’ll take MS in the long run against Google. Personally I believe that broad search sites like Google are going to become less valuable as niche searches will become more accurate.
Timothy – remember the only reason why Apple is still around is because MS needed them. They gave them money in hopes of getting the US government off their back.
Is there anyone thinks that bing is a good product?
Yes, there are a lot of MS employees around here who apparently love it.
Apparently there are alot of trolls around here who like to bash anything Microsoft. Are you working for Google? if so, what ever happen to the no evil motto?
If somebody is nerdy enough to call GOOG-411, they will get an iPhone or Android. These 411 services have never worked well, and now they are obsolete.
don’t have a smartphone, have used Free411 many times, know many others that have.
Sure, there are still people using this, but it’s an uphill battle against smartphones.
Don’t confuse the Silicon Valley or East Coast Intelligentsia with the rest of the world.
Not everyone in this world has access to or are saavy enough to use a smartphone.
I just tried it out and it must be down. “We’re sorry, we are having technical difficulties that will prevent us from continuing this call…thanks, Good-bye” And then hangs up…
Nice job, Eric your article brought them down…jk.
Hey Eric, try going to Bing on your iPhone. I’m being taken to Live.com instead of Bing, and all the branding is Live/MSN, but I still get the bing-like experience.
I like MS’s efforts. However some of the statements above are true. I used to use Goog 411 quite a while ago, when I wasn’t on a smart phone. And I also used to text google for weather, sport scores, etc. Not my of my friends knew about it and the only way I discovered the products was because of sites like this. It sounds like MS has made some great improvements from Google’s initial version, but I question the need for this service anymore. I think if Google felt that it’s product was very important and it received a lot of usage they would have continue to update it with new features. Unfortunately it’s just a nice to have right now or even a waste of money. The great features won’t drawl users to the product if they just don’t need it anymore. Sorry MS, this one is a loss.
Want More Free Interactive Voice Response Tools?
+ 1-800-Free-411 (business and residential listings)
+ 1-800-Flights (Flight Info)
+ 1-866-My-TRAFC (Traffic Info for Major U.S. Cities)
+ 1-347-328-4667 (Driving Directions)
Don’t they all use the same engine from Nuance / Dragon ?
@Alex – Hey there. WTF are you smoking? D.A. is a multi-billion dollar business.
Companies/offerings such as GOOG411, LIVE411, FREE411 or your default 411 provided by the incumbent phone companies are used by an average Joe/Jane and it is to stay unless adults in the country suddenly dissapeared. Based on your comments, you must be a kiddo…
I’m sure these companies are also working on a version that converges voice offerings with data driven stuff packaged as a client/web driven app that would work from a smart phone/mobile phone, but until then… it’s a personal preference to locate what they need either from the smartphone/surfing or make a call.
Lastly… you’ve said “why not just Google the damn thing?” yeah, but what do you do after googling? you still need to call and talk to someone – does google do that for you? I didn’t think so.
Hi Andrew,
just found this: http://www.disc...ing.com/mobile/
(Type your mobile number below and we’ll send you a link to Bing for mobile in a text message1
..blah blah blah)
I have to say M$ is really good at hiding all the important links – through out all live brand sites (now Bing as well!).
But this has existed since OCTOBER 2007. All that is new is the brand Bing 411 and that you noticed it. It previously was called Live Search 411.
(http://blogs.ms...0-call-411.aspx)
you beat me to it!
TechCrunch are really showing how slack their “reporting” actually is with their Bing coverage
First time I ever tried it. Maybe Bing isn’t such a bad name after all.
Erick,
Actually, April 2007
http://www.crun...ee-411-service/
Glad you like it! It has been around for longer than Goog411, and Tellme answers billions of 411 calls every year. In fact, half of all calls to 411 in America are answered by Tellme/Microsoft through large carrier distribution partnerships, in addition to the free services Tellme powers like 1-800-555-TELL and 1-800-555-1212 Toll Free Directory.
The future of this space will be in mixed modality interfaces that do voice in, visual out. Stuff like http://www.tech...obile-launches/ and Google Mobile App, Vlingo and Siri. The multi-billion dollar 411 market in this country is undergoing a shift from “caller pays” to “advertiser pays” — it will be interesting to see if a big carrier actually cuts 411 over to a free/ad supported model.
I’m no longer w/ Tellme but I am happy to see them getting some TC love!
I just tried Bing 411 – it was awful. I didn’t recognize my company name, yet I finally found my company in its category. It was really bad.
Goog 411 gets my inquires right, quickly almost everytime. I’m staying with 1-800-GOOG-411
I don’t understand how Microsoft can launch a 411 service this bad.
GOOG 411 isn’t a “product” really, it’s a lab.
http://www.disc...com/mobile/411/
is f*cking classless.
The audio demos are in .WMA (!!!)
MS just doesn’t get the details.
And what exactly is classless about the audio demos being in WMA format?
Oct.09,2009
Bing has the most beautiful photograpy! Today’s feature of an Amsterdam canal captured my heart in its picturesque beauty and pointed to the Creator as the originator of Impressionism as you gaze apon the reflection of the clouds, trees buildings and boats. AMAZING!