Robert Virzi <rv01@gte.com> (04/23/91)
Telecommers:
A while back in comp.dcom.telecom we had a series of postings with
phone numbers of interesting audio response systems -- numbers that
you call to hear canned information on a variety of topics played back
to you.
I think it's time to update the list, as these new services seem to
pop up (and ocassionaly disappear) at a rapid rate. Some of them are
actually quite useful, while others are not. I have general info
lines in mind, not specific services like those tailored to the
shareholders of a particular mutual fund.
Below are some of the numbers I know of. I would be willing to
collect numbers by e-mail, which I will summarize and post. I think
this method will conserve some net bandwidth and provide a compact
listing for those interested.
Although not necessarily excluded, I am generally less interested in
900-numbers. The reasons should be obvious.
Bob Virzi rv01@gte.com
Number Description
====== ===========
617.333.FILM Film reviews & local theater times keyed to zip code.
Try zip codes 02054 and 02142 for examples. This is a
fairly unique service and one that I might actually pay
for if they didn't give it away free.
617.258.8671 Boston area directions. Enter two street addresses and
get amazingly detailed directions. I think this is an
MIT project, uses synthetic speech.
206.464.2000 Seattle Times info line. Subsidized by commercials. Has
lots of info categories (like the next two) but unusual
in its support of 15 min delayed stock quotes on line 9800.
Enter ticker symbols in the form 41,81,32* for GTE.
808.296.1818 GTE Directories ON CALL service. Some interesting lines
like surf reports (this is in Hawaii). Other topics include
TV listings, news, sports, weather, and a unique report on
the activities of the armed services.
214.621.2200 Another version of ON CALL, customized for local area.
ON CALL promises to be getting stock quotes like the
Seattle Times number in the near future. Some games on
this service (e.g., telephone golf).
908.236.7000 United Telephone in NJ has (had) a similar to service to
the three above, but the user interface was done particularly
well. These systems are flaky, what with trying to pick
off DTMF during message playing, and their system used some
tricks to make the technology *seem* better, if not actually
making it *work* better.
602.753.9009 Kingman, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu City and other areas
around Mohave County have their own version of telephone
information lines called TeleTips. It has more static infor-
mation like how to do taxes and golf tips.
900.xxx.xxxx USA today provides the stock quote service provided by the
Seattle Times but for a charge. One improvement they have
made is a greatly expanded list of company names that includes
common names. So AT&T can be entered ATT, not the cryptic T
(the ticker symbol) required by the Times. The number appears
in the business section of the paper along with instructions.
900.454.4BUD Provided by Budweiser, they let you call in and listen to a
song from a selected list of bands playing in NYC. I have
not called this number.
900.HOT.DISC Lets you preview first 30 seconds of each song on a short
list of albums (er, CDs). You can switch over to a live
operator to place an order.
900.454.3277 Another music preview service specializing in music of off
beat, hard to find bands. It has something like 500 bands
online, and you need the codes to get to specific bands. Costs
a buck a minute and they cut you off after 15 minutes, or so
I am told.
If you have additions to this list, please include the complete
number, a short description, and charges, if you know them, and send
me email at the address below. Thanks.