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March 27, 2007
Google Builds Mobile Presence
According to a release late today, Google is expanding its repertoire of SMS-based search services to include realtime flight information:Simply text your flight number to 466453 ('GOOGLE' on most mobile devices), and the status information will be sent back to you. Or text a specific airline name, and Google will send back the main phone number to call.Flight information is via flightstats.com, and, aside from SMS fees, it's free. Nifty.
[Updated] Google has also rolled out significant improvements to its mobile search. Generally speaking, I like it. The new interface is spare and relatively clean, while still retaining image search, news search, local search, etc.
My biggest beef so far: An advertisement, of sorts, for Google Mobile search in the middle of the results -- I'm using the damn thing already, leave me alone -- and an illogical ordering of search results, with stocks and images before core search. I'll accept that it isn't bad idea to sneak stock results in, but images before core search makes zero sense.
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Similarly- this has been available on aircanada http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/mobile/notification.html for a few years - excellent tool for keeping tabs prior to picking up passengers while stuck in rush hour traffic..
turns out you can drop the trailing 3 in the sms short code
46645 works just fine for flight info just like you would query google local through sms.
4info (http://www.4info.net) has offered this service for at least 2 years now!