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Google has escaped!

Amongst all the blogs that I follow is the official Google Blog. Well, not much more than a week ago they unveiled a new (free, of course) service, and I have been surprised to compare it's usefulness with the actual lack of word-of-mouth about it. So, though I usually don't take it upon myself to use this blog to merely pass along news, I feel that many of you will love me more for this. :)

Google SMS! Here's the wrap: Google has escaped the confines of a web browser and an internet connection. You now have the power of Google available from the keypad of your cellphone. What you do...

1. Send a text message to GOOGL (46645)
2. Put something in the message and send it, and you get useful information back:
Send: 47978Receive: Collegeville IN (city of any zip code you specify)
Send: 60611 pastaReceive: pasta restaurant listings in that zip code, with name, address, and phone #
Send: define existentialismReceive: need I elaborate...? :)
Send: 1280 seconds in minutesReceive: Calculator by Google: 1280 seconds = 21.3333333 minutes
Send: 26.2 miles in kilometersReceive: Calculator by Google: 26.2 miles = 42.1648128 kilometers
Send: g population muncieReceive: - the corresponding "snippet" that you see for each search result, usually includes useful information
Send: 7652841250Receive: Residential Whitepages: Peter J Walters 1904 Brentwood Ln Muncie, IN 47304 765-284-1250

Holy cow! You now have Google at your side wherever you are. It already came in handy for me last weekend in the middle of downtown Chicago looking for a restaurant with pasta for before our marathon...

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