New York — For those of you courageous, there are few things more terrifying than the idea of going anywhere near a shopping establishment on Black Friday. Nevertheless, if you have been to Times Square in New York City over the past couple weeks, you might have observed that Google Search by voice is powering Times Square’s largest combined displays — a promotion that will allows users call a number, request a search by voice, and see the Droid-powered results on a huge electronic billboard.
The activity has already been going on for the last few weeks — from noon-2pm and 630-8pm, but in honor of Black Friday, and those who have access to Google Search by voice from their mobile phone would be able to call a special number, do a voice search for a business or tourist attraction. Also, Verizon will be running its “Droid Does” promotion for 20 hours straight. Call in a search and your request will be aired on the Reuters sign and the NASDAQ sign in Times Square:
If you are in Times Square, call 888-376-4336 on any mobile phone, request a search by voice, and it will show up on the billboards in front of you, so for those of you who possess iPhones, Android devices such as the Droid and Droid Eris, BlackBerry devices, and Symbian gadgets will be able to call 888-376-4336, and search by voice for eateries, retail stores and attractions that strike their fancy, and see their results displayed on these signs for 20 hours straight:
So, if you say something like “new Jonas Brothers CD,” the display will beam a giant Google Map complete with signs showing you where you can find that. Also included is the embarrassment that everyone in Times Square has just seen what ridiculous thing you are searching for.
So far, the top searches are for pizza and McDonald’s, which shouldn’t be too difficult to locate in Times Square. And here is the site with the countdown to the event complete with the message: “Droid will do Times Square for 20 hours” Minds out of the gutter, folks.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!