On May 7, one of the doctors speaking at the yearly meeting of the AFA needed some quick information on train schedules from New York to Washington. He had his cell phone, so he tried Google Short Message Service (SMS). It didn't work too well, and he was in a hurry. In the end, 1-800-USARAIL did the trick.
However, one does get the feeling that internet searches from remote devices such as cell phones are in our future. To make these more consumer-friendly, one is looking for a more effective return of results on the internet search end. On regular computer searches, a user typically does not go beyond the first few pages of result. On a cell phone, a user is not going beyond the first few results, the downfall for the doctor in New York. On the user end, one is looking for more recognition of voice input, and less work with fingers and the stylus. The 800 number worked pretty well because it accepted voice prompts.
At a different level, one wonders if the success of the "master librarian" (the search engine) will continue. The search engine provides no content, but merely links content-providers to content-seekers, and derives income from the linkage itself. If the content-providers were more effective in reaching content-seekers (as with the 800 number), the middleman might be squeezed.
Lawrence B. Ebert is a patent attorney located in central New Jersey.
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