It seems like the Mrs. and I constantly buy new landline phones. We haven’t even been married all that long, but we’ve owned at least three sets of phones since then. They break, the batteries refuse to hold a charge, one of the kids throws it on the floor until it shatters, etc.
Landline phone makers are trying awfully hard to be relevant in a market where, increasingly, the landline phone is an anachronism. In a quick poll, 4 out of 5 of my colleagues under age 30 have no landline at all, and use their mobile phone exclusively. Of those I asked over 30, myself included, zero use a mobile exclusively. Interesting, but not surprising.
The first thing you’ll notice if you shop for a landline phone is that most try very hard not to look like landline phones. Most are tiny black candybars, like mobiles, or intentionally retro-looking handsets that wouldn’t be out of place in a Bogart film.
The next thing you’ll likely notice is that, for the most part, they all are almost exactly the same. Same frequencies used, same technologies, same buttons. Or are they?
This is where things get interesting, because the buttons aren’t all exactly the same. In fact, we found some GE phones actively marketing a different button. A Google button. A GOOG-411 button.
If you really stop to think about it, that’s a headspinner. Thomson is selling a GE-branded phone with a button to automatically dial directory assistance from a search company. Turns out I had missed an announcement earlier in the year:
"While some people still use the ‘phone book,’ most traditional paper versions these days are remarkably incomplete and do not fit today’s fast paced lifestyle," said Tom Bratton, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Thomson Consumer Network Solutions. "In America alone, more than $18 million is spent on business information calls daily! That amounts to about $7 billion dollars spent per year. We believe that consumers will appreciate the ability to use GOOG-411, making free business information calls at the push of a single button."
"We are pleased that Thomson has incorporated Google’s powerful local search service into their latest line of phones," said Marc Vanlerberghe, Director of Mobile Marketing of Google, Inc. "GOOG-411 connects users to businesses for no charge. We believe that users will appreciate the ease, speed and simplicity of finding and connecting with businesses at the push of one button. Google is committed to making information useful and accessible when and where our users need it, whether it is on a desktop machine, a mobile device, or a landline handset."
Here’s Engadget on the announcement. Also SlipperyBrick.
The GOOG-411 button may or may not be helpful to consumers, but it certainly is good for Google. It furthers the perception of Google as the de facto repository for information on anything, anywhere, and does so in a pretty innovative way.
