S60 Open to new features

So Americans like pizza…is it so bad?! A recent article describes the information-seeking habits of Americans via their mobiles. It seems that Americans of all ages have been busy (locating pizza places) with their mobiles, calling the 411 directory for assistance. From a user experience standpoint, this makes sense: a quick phone call results in useful, needed results. Users want specific information, they know where and how to get it, and voila! It is done.

I know I may sound repetitive but am I missing something? Is there an alternative to a mobile phone call to the 411 directory, which produces immediate and useful results? Could users send an SMS to a 411 number and receive similar (and fast) information? In a day and age when we don’t necessarily want to waste the time talking to another person (like an operator, or our mothers if the 411 call does not produce results), there ought to be an alternative. Perhaps the problem for users is that most alternatives are too slow, e.g. Internet access via one’s mobile device, or not informative enough.