Google Voice Search Adds ‘Map It’ Feature

Google’s free directory assistance/voice search offering 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) has added a “map it” feature. Users can say “map it” after receiving the desired listing and get a text message with a link to a map (which opens a WAP browser). I tested the feature a couple of times , and it worked very easily.

Google draws upon its Google Maps database to serve text-to-speech listings — and now maps — to Goog411 callers. Google’s competitors include Jingle Networks’ 1-800-Free411, AT&T’s 1-800-YellowPages and several others. Jingle Networks was recently awarded a patent for contextual ad serving in a free directory assistance environment.

Right now that patent doesn’t implicate the Google service since there are not yet any ads on Goog411.