ByWillAtkinson.com

The purveyor of all things good and worthy on the Web, Google (See: world domination one, two, three, four, five, etc.), has yet another ace up its sleeve: Google Mobile.

Search on your cell phone, the latest toy from Google.

In its quest for unmitigated omnipresence, Google Mobile represents the Mountain View, CA company’s latest shoe drop. With mobile service, it is now possible to quickly pull up directions, phone numbers, addresses, reviews, word definitions and almost anything else on your cell phone.

I’ve been testing out Google SMS (Short Messaging Service) for the last month, and have found it invaluable. With SMS, a cell phone owner sends formatted text message requests to Google. Messages with the requested information are sent back to the user after a short delay.

Example:

I created a text message with the text “define obsequious.” Google recognizes this as a definition request.

The text message is sent to the number 466-45 (this spells out the easily memorizable GOOGL on your phone keypad).

Three seconds later, a text message arrives from Google with the following message:

Google responds with a message provided by Princeton University’s WordNet: “obsequious: bootlicking: attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.”

Word definitions are a useful feature. I’ve found myself looking up words while reading on the couch. It’s much easier to zap off a quick text message than to haul out the old dead-tree dictionary and comb through pages for a couple minutes, a process I find breaks my train of thought when reading.

It’s also possible with Google SMS to obtain business listings, driving directions, movie showtimes, weather reports, stock quotes and product prices. It’s all free too, provided you have text messaging service from your cell phone provider.

Google has a how-to guide on its SMS service. It’s useful to print out the tip sheet (PDF format), which is formatted to fit in a wallet.

Over on Russell Beattie’s blog, there is vociferous debate on the comparative merits of Yahoo’s and Google’s mobile search services. Some prefer Yahoo’s multimedia approach while others want Google’s speedy, barebones service. Personally, I’m not looking for a “rich experience” when all I need is a quick address or definition.

Some caveats: the service is only available in the U.S. Also, the response time can vary greatly. Users have reported waiting 20 minutes for a reply.

Still, the service is free, available on almost all cell phones, speedy and entirely useful. I give it my stamp of approval.