ChaCha intros live mobile search service

Search services provider ChaCha announced a new mobile solution enabling consumers to send questions via SMS and receive answers mailed to their handsets via live operators, dubbed ChaCha guides. According to ChaCha, the presence of live operators trained to use its internal search systems enables users to pose their questions as if they were texting a friend, down to employing traditional text slang, and without concern for special formatting or restrictions. Searches span from dynamic information like sports scores, movie listings, weather and local data to contact information to trivia--sample queries include "I'm at the corner of 42nd & Broadway in New York City. Where can I get a cup of coffee?" and "Where can I get some great sushi in Palo Alto, CA?" In conjunction with the launch, ChaCha will serve as the Official Text Answers Service of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

For more on ChaCha's mobile launch:
-read this release

Related articles:
Study: Consumers receptive to ad-funded mobile search
Trend: Mobile web use dominated by local search 
Sprint, Microsoft intro local mobile search