Knowledgebase Using the Search Engines

Google Text Message Search

This is one of the coolest recent web discoveries that I've come across. You can actually query Google in the form of a simple cell phone text message. The results will come back to you as a reply. I've recently used this feature to get showtimes at my local movie theater and to find telephone numbers for local electronics stores (as I searched for the Nintendo Wii). The latter saved me the fifty cents I would have been charged for calling information. It can also save you the money that your cell phone company may charge you for connecting to the web browser on your phone. Below I've compiled a list of the available Google SMS text message commands with instructions on how to use them. Also, be sure to print out the wallet size commands cheat sheet.

Google Text Message Search Commands:

• Local Listings (phone numbers and addresses)
  This is perhaps the most useful of the Google cell phone text message commands. For example, if we text the following query message to Google: Blockbuster 15235 Google will return phone numbers and addresses for local Blockbuster stores near that zip code. If you don't know the zip code, you can include the city and state instead: Blockbuster Monroeville Pa. Notice that there are no commas between these search words. You can also be less specific. For example, you may want a listing of all the video stores in a certain area, not just Blockbuster. Instead, we can text Google with: video 15235.



• Weather Forecast
  If you're on a trip to the big city and you want to check the weather forecast for the next couple days, you can do it buy sending a text message query to Google. For example, texting weather 10013 will return the current weather and extended weather forecast for New York City. You can use the city and state in your query instead of the zip code: weather New York, NY. You can also abbreviate weather with a w and send the text message: w New York, NY.



• Sports Scores
  Did you miss last night's basketball game? Don't worry, you can get your favorite sports team's scores and their scheduled next game by sending the team's name as a Google text message. For example, you can text Lakers to Google to get recent game results and the date of the next game. Usually, including the team's city in the search is not necessary. Google can provide scores for all of your favorite NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, and NCAA teams. This service only works during the season.



• Movie Times
  This is great if you don't know your local movie theater's phone number or if it's busy. It's also usually quicker than listening to the recording. Simply text Google with the name of a CURRENT movie and include a city and state, or zip (ex: moviename 10013 or try moviename New York, NY where moviename is the title of a current film).



• Stock Quotes
  Need to check a stock while your on the go? Just enter a SINGLE stock ticker symbol or the word 'stock' followed by a less obvious ticker name (ex: GOOG or for a less unique ticker symbol, stock DUCK).



• Translation
  If you're trying to figure out what a word is in another language, Google's text message search feature can perform word translations. To get translations, enter 'translate' (or 't') followed by the expression, 'to' and a destination language (ex: translate car to french, t road to german).