Just a note- The company I used to work for, 1800 Free 411 is still around, and makes a pretty decent alternative. Free411 is ad supported, and doesn't have call completion, but otherwise its a pretty decent stand-in.
And then there's 1-800-BING-411 (1-800-246-4411) which used to be called something like 1-800-Tell-Me. I prefer ggle's sms-based service. I've also tried ChaCha.com (txt 242-242) where humans respond instead of software but the service has declined from my experience over the passed couple years.
This is sad because this is one of the only technologies my mom is comfortable with using. She uses this service on almost a daily basis. When I called her and told her about this story, she asked if there was some way to call them up and complain about it. I know Google is notorious for not having very good customer service, but does anyone know if there is a number she could call?
Google is (believe it or not) working on being more accessible to customers, but no, right now, there isn't a number she can call. It's sad that people like your mom are disappointed, and there are plenty more like her out there, but calling up isn't going to change anything :(
I think Google are actually really brave to do this and I for one am proud of them. Lots of corporate companies keep around products in zombie states for years because they are afraid of shutting stuff down and upsetting customers.
Google provides lots of free services and I think it's awesome that they try stuff, innovate and then pull out when it's not working for them.
I think it's good they gave everyone a month's notice and provided a txt based alternative. It would have been nice if they'd also pointed to some voice alternatives provided by "competitors" though.
The flip side of course is that it becomes dangerous if you rely on any of Google's free services. An extreme example, but what happens if GMail isn't profitable enough? Maybe Adsense for content isn't pulling it's weight any more (if it ever has)?
411 was a fairly useful service, and while shutting it down is probably the right business move, it pushes me more and more to move my primary email account and diversifying my advertising.
The rumor I always heard was that 411 was only around to stress-test their voice recognition backend. It really wasn't delivering ads or anything of revenue to them.
I've also heard rumors that Gmail and Adsense for Content aren't particularly profitable for Google. Of course I've also heard that the brand equity created with Gmail is very valuable and those two are extreme examples, but even based on similar rumors it's possible Google could shut down either one.
Rather than a rumor, it's just the way Google works. They are as data-driven as you can get. Think of all the AI work they're doing that one easily takes for granted: computer vision (image search, goggles, street view), nlp (translate, voice, search, etc), machine learning (search, et al), etc.
Most services have no switching cost, so it doesn't really matter. Gmail is pretty much the only Google service I can think of that would be a pain, and they'd keep Gmail even if it were losing money for a large host of reasons.
Oh, also Google Voice. When they bought that they changed my number on me and I basically stopped using it as a result.
my understanding is that "Adsense for content" is called " Google Network Web Sites" on their financial statements, and it's responsible for about 1/3 of their revenue.
Okay, to be serious though: this service never made it to Canada so I only got to use it once while visiting the USA. It sounded pretty cool and I know you'll miss it.
Seeing as this is HN, though, this is an obvious opening for a startup right? I mean, Google clearly doesn't think the service was worthwhile but much of HN is lamenting its loss.
This was planned from day one, Google only wanted the massive data set that they collected to improve voice recognition in other areas. Rather than buy it via another channel they acquired this data set with this service.
Android 2.1 is pretty damn close. 2.2 seemed to be a little worse.
Main example: it used to be if you had someone's address in your contacts, you could hold down the search button until the voice search prompt came up, then say "Navigate to <person's name> and it would pull up Google Navigation on that person's address.
Around 2.2 Google seems to have removed the ability to search your contacts from Google Maps. I'm not sure if this is a bug or a decision that searching your own contacts won't generate ad revenue. In any case, what happens now is it gives you a popup of search results for that name in your vicinity and asks you to choose, usually there are like 20.
That’s part of the point isn’t it? Google extends the service for free (for a limited time) and people without smartphones grow to like it (glad that 1800FREE411 is still there) and then when the free service is withdrawn that iota more of dump-phone users are more inclined to buy a smartphone.
Smartphones may be growing like crazy, but there are still vastly more dumb-phones actually in peoples’ hands. Big market, right?
I own an iPhone 3G and I really wish that my carrier (Rogers) would let me get rid of all phone-related services. I don't want or need them. Internet in my pocket is really the important part. And if I want to talk, send my voice through the data channels!
Same with TV; I don't own one, but I wish the cable companies would kill a few shitty cable TV channels and use that bandwidth for Internet data instead.
Hmm ... maybe you should get an iPod Touch with a MiFi. Or, of course, perhaps Apple will eventually make an iPod Touch with a sim card like the iPad 3G. If it did that with the same data price plans, that would be really great.
My parents got into an argument for getting lost locating a restaurant. We were going to head home so I pulled out my cellphone and used goog411 to contact the restaurant and ask for directions. It was located around the corner from where we were driving around.
Haven't used it for a while but I have fond memories of that silly fetch audio and trying to convince the system i mean Tom Thumb not Tom Tom Asian Grill.
I try to keep this in mind with respect to all "free" products, including others from Google. E.g. Google Apps Standard: Nice while it lasts, but don't invest in its sticking around.
Google Apps Standard might be different. Google Apps Standard is offering you the same thing that Google already offers for free, just using your own domain. It still has ads and such. As such, as long as Gmail, Google Calendar, etc. remain profitable, then Gmail for your domain, Google Calendar for your domain, etc. should have the same level of profitability (and cost). The additional service that Google is offering via Google Apps Standard is the ability to use your own domain which really doesn't cost Google.
GOOG-411 wasn't ad supported so they didn't make any money off of it. It seemed like it was being run in order to collect voice data to create better speech recognition algorithms. Now that many have smartphones, they're getting that data in a cheaper way and, ultimately, in a way that they can monetize easier. Rather than paying 800-number charges for everyone to call into (and pay while the call was connected), people are using their iPhone and Android devices to give Google voice data.
I think Google Voice is the more likely service to get canned. Phone charges can become burdensome while bandwidth is essentially free when you're Google's size (since I'm guessing they're working off peering agreements more than buying bandwidth). Even if they were buying bandwidth, bandwidth is something with lots of competitors and very low regulatory charges. Phone connections are different.
Whether it's Apps Standard, or Voice, or something else. I meant my point more generally; if you aren't paying for it, somebody is, and they may decide to stop.
Apps Standard has been on my mind because it is currently a useful solution for a few small businesses I know, but I caution them about becoming over-reliant.
(I've argued the cost efficiency of Premier, but they are watching every nickle and dime, at present. Hopefully, if the free Standard version does go away, Premier or similar will remain -- I mean, Google's been been engaging in large, long term Apps contracts with outfits quite capable of "lawyering up" -- and at a price that is manageable.
I know: I'd just plunk down the money, for something that is business critical. But, it's not my call. Their initial use is not business critical, but that's a slippery slope.)
P.S. I haven't researched nor thought it through, but my perception of Voice has been as a partial workaround and/or escape hatch for carrier lock in. For the time being, it helps keep the pressure on.
Longer term? Well, rumors are that Google has invested in a LOT of backbone capacity. Voice may be a step in capturing interactive content transfer, and the advertising/marketing niches that exist both within it and from analysis of resulting meta-data. It may also offer some direct revenue; they already charge (U.S. customers) for foreign calls.
Hmm... will Google roll out a SIP telecommunications service, at some point, to go along with their professional Apps offers? (Maybe the regulation would be far too hairy; otherwise, it would seem a likely cross marketing opportunity, at least until such communications become more fully integrated into a more general communications paradigm, if ever.)
