Last year we started a pilot of Google Phone Search where users from Hyderabad and Delhi could call a toll free number and search for local businesses or movie showtimes. We believe that speech recognition and voice access to information is a very important technology for India because it helps us reach users who may not have access to PC or are on the move all the time.
Starting today, users in Mumbai and Bangalore can also call the same toll free number 1-800-41-999-999 at no cost from any phone to search for local business and movie showtimes and get the results by SMS. For example, if you are looking for pizza delivery businesses you can call and say "pizza" and your area name (like Bandra in Mumbai or MG road in Bangalore) to get listings near you.
We are continuously working towards improving our speech recognition technology but it is still not perfect and it may not recognize you at times. We will transfer your call to an operator after 2 recognition failures who can assist you with your query.
So go ahead and try Google Phone Search for free and send us your feedback on how we can serve you better.
Tip: Add 1-800-41-999-999 to your phone book today!