In the News
2008
Hosts Mike and Juliet get excited about 1-800-FREE411 and how much people have saved with the service in 3 years of its existence…
Are you looking for a free meal once in a while? Well, who isn’t? Jennifer Jolly shows how to find pretty much anything and everything absolutely free…
Whether it’s business or personal, we’re always on our cell phones. We monitor our minutes to keep our bill low. But one call that rings it up quickly is directory assistance…
Now more than ever the word “free” brings smiles to people’s faces. Jessica Anderson talks about her research on free services…
Jingle Networks’ ad-supported directory assistance service 1-800-FREE411 is now offering SMS services to consumers and advertisers…
Jingle Networks has already captured a 6% market share of directory assistance calls with its 1-800-FREE411 service… What if Jingle expanded into a voice ad network? I have learned that it is preparing to do just that…
Against the backdrop of a broad range of competitors, Jingle needs to continue to develop, market and differentiate its service. One way it has sought to do that is by offering Dial Directions service…
Jingle Networks, which operates the country’s largest free 411 service, 1-800-FREE411, recently conducted a political poll. Now this was not your typical poll…
Sponsored by 1-800-FREE411, today is the day we get to throw a party for all of the great things in life that are free…
Jingle Networks, a provider of free telephone directory services, has raised $13 million in a third round of funding…
Directory assistance from a wireless phone can get very expensive if used even a few times per month. The cost of dialing 411 is often priced at $1.25 or more per use. Some carriers charge as much as $3.00 per call…
DMNews spends a few minutes with Kim Breslin, Director of Marketing Communications, 1-800-FREE411…
For years, consumer advocates have warned that there is no free lunch. But that standing advice may be changing…
For many mobile workers, finding something in an unfamiliar city can be difficult if you don’t have an Internet-enabled mobile device. For cell phone users, finding these services was just made easier…
FREE411 has announced a partnership with useful driving directions service Dial DIR-ECT-IONS to help people find phone numbers and addresses along with step-by-step directions for how to get there…
Voice-activated driving directions help you get to your location, without having to key in your query, via SMS…
Move over, Ma Bell. According to a new study, free directory assistance services such as 1-800-FREE411 will ultimately overtake traditional paid assistance among mobile consumers…
The biggest problem with 411, especially for mobile phone users, is that it costs money. Now an alternative has arrived…
Jingle Networks, operator of the 1-800-FREE411 ad-supported, directory assistance service announced that it has snagged a crop of new advertisers — and sold out all available sponsorship inventory for 2008 in the process…
What’s not to love about free 411 calls? Jingle Networks, which operates 1-800-FREE411, says it has sold out its entire inventory of sponsorship ads for 2008…
As Google and Microsoft wrangle over 411-style phone directory services, a startup is beating both to the punch when it comes to making money from the concept…
The first company to bring you free directory assistance via the telephone, Jingle Networks, has raised nearly $13 million in Series C-1 funding…
This will be the third annual post on “Web 2.0 Companies I Couldn’t Live Without…“
2007
I received an email from Jingle CEO George Garrick criticizing my recent survey post about mobile usage and 411 as misleading because of the tiny sample involved…
A cell phone can be an actor’s best friend. But you may feel less warmly toward your electronic buddy if you make even a few directory-assisted calls and discover exorbitant charges tacked onto your bill…
While Google and Microsoft both recently launched their own free directory assistance services, Jingle Networks’ 1-800-FREE411 has been making inroads with advertisers like McDonald’s since its launch in 2005…
At $2 a pop, a few calls to wireless directory assistance each month can add up fast. Here’s how to avoid paying anything at all…
If saving $1.50 or $2 weren’t enough, here’s another good reason to dial 1-800-FREE411 for free directory assistance on your cell phones and land lines…
The MoneySavers show you how you can dial for free, and help raise money during the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month…
We all dial 411 sometimes, but it can really rack up your phone bill. I will show you how to call information without costing you again…
If you’re like me, you’ve called for directory assistance from your cell phone, and you’ve paid $1 or more for the service…
We’ve all been charged for dialing 4-1-1, but now there’s free directory assistance…
In his monthly Alabama Business Report podcast, Adam Shivers takes a look at the directory assistance market…
The Jingle team has been aggressively wringing costs out of the system for months trying to reduce the cost per call as much as possible…
Richard Tucker spoke to Lyn Chitow Oakes about the recent deal with Skype, calling statistics, revenues, costs…
A new study by The Kelsey Group pegs mobile search advertising revenues at over $102 million in 2008 —tripling this year’s $33 million— and mushrooming to $1.4 billion by 2012…
Mobile marketing and local mobile search are going to be much easier than online: all the work is being done now to enable mobile distribution to take place later…
Free 411 directory assistance based on speech recognition for cell phone users is certain to become more widespread due to a new enhanced partnership between Nuance Communications and Jingle Networks…
White Directory Publishers announced a marketing partnership with Jingle’s 1-800-FREE411 making it the first independent publisher to resell sponsorship products on the 1-800-FREE411 media channel…
Janis Lieberman separates facts from fiction on free directory assistance…
When you’re out and about and suddenly find yourself in need of a pizza, a shoe-repair shop or an airline reservation, the Yellow Pages just won’t do. But finding a business on the fly is becoming much easier…
Cellphone users can rack up major fees using wireless directory assistance. Some charges are as much as a cup of good coffee. Well, the old fashioned way of getting telephone information and paying for it is over…
The nation’s top free 411 service will no longer be quite as generous to its competitors. Jingle Networks, which operates 1-800-FREE411, last month won a patent for a key feature of its service…
If you’re still paying to dial directory assistance the old-fashioned way, Clark Howard has the 411 for you. He says, now it doesn’t have to cost you a dime to get information…
Watch out for these sneaky ways that you are nickel-and-dimed…
Until recently, when Eli Portnoy wanted to find the nearest restaurant he would use his cellphone to call a search service offered by his carrier, Verizon Wireless…
New York Times tech columnist David Pogue reveals methods to avoid cell phone company charges for 411…
Host Jean Chatzky talks about 1-800-FREE411’s “The Best Things in Life are Free” Day: a time to to appreciate the everyday things in life that are already free, and to celebrate the valuable services you can get for free all year…
Fed up with fees? A new bevy of free software-based directories could make you hang up on Ma Bell’s operators for good…
Melody Thompson has always been a saver. When she was a kid, her dad gave her quarters to play video games. She’d add the money to her piggy bank instead…
7 things your cell phone can do that you didn’t know it could…
An ad in Yellow Pages helps business owners reach potential customers already looking for certain kind of product or service. Now, a new feature of 1-800-FREE411 lets small businesses…
Jingle Networks, the Boston-based company that offers the 1-800-FREE411 service, is adding a category search feature that allows you to search for businesses that you don’t know by name…
Jingle Networks, operator of the 1-800-FREE411 service, just announced that they now control 6% of the U.S. market in 411 calls. This is up from 1.5% a year ago…
Instead of dialing 411 and being charged 50 cents to $1.50, call this service, from a cell or a landline, for free nationwide directory assistance…
Freedom of Information: 1-800-FREE411. Most phone companies hit you for $1.50 to $2 per 411 call. But if you can stand to listen to a quick, nearly painless ad…
Fees for directory assistance calls (including ones made from cellphones), are on the rise. On Feb. 1, Sprint increased its 411 fee from $1.49 to $1.79…
A year ago I wrote a post called “Web 2.0 Companies I Couldn’t Live Without” and listed thirteen startups whose products made a real impact in my life. Seven of the companies are still on the list…
2006
Your phone company is charging you anywhere from 50 cents to $2 for a 411 call. Now you can get the exact same service completely free by using 1-800-FREE411…
The people ServiceMagic serves are busy folks: carpenters contractors, landscapers, plumbers, dry wallers, house cleaners and other home-improvement professionals…
Jingle’s free 411 service has announced that users have now placed over 100 million 411 calls…
Those looking for directory assistance have no shortage of choices these days. There’s 411, which costs $1.25 to $1.79 for a requested number. There are toll-free directory assistance companies that run an advertiser…
Thanksgiving, is it? Well, despite occasional headaches, technology has also brought us plenty to be thankful for: safety, convenience and entertainment on the go…
The people ServiceMagic serves are busy folks, who want to market their services to owners in their service areas. To do that, ServiceMagic has called on the marketing help of Jingle Networks…
In CT, there is a way to get free telephone directory assistance…
A California-based company is betting that people won’t mind listening to a pitch for a Florida vacation or a debt consolidation deal if they get something in return: free telephone directory assistance…
Instead of handing over about $1.50 for dialing directory assistance, call 1-800-FREE411 instead…
Talk about success. Launched just over one year ago, Jingle Networks’ free 411 service now attracts over 13 million monthly directory assistance requests…
Michael Arrington interviews Jingle Networks CEO George Garrick and investor Josh Kopelman about the history and future of their free, ad-supported 411 service called 1-800-FREE411…
Today Jingle Networks announced a third round of financing – $30 million from Goldman Sachs and Hearst Corporation, at a valuation of around $150 million…
Free directory assistance provider Jingle Networks said today it had raised $30 million in Series C financing, bringing its total funding to over $60 million…
Menlo Park-based Jingle Networks Inc. said Monday it raised $30 million in third round financing…
Jingle Networks, a Menlo Park start-up which provides free phone directory assistance, has raised a whopping $30 million more in venture capital – upping the ante in what is now a crowded field…
It’s never fun to call for information. Yes, I try to avoid paying the charge. Well, there is an alternative: 1-800-FREE411…
Jingle Networks, a provider of free directory assistance supported by ads, has raised $30 million in new funding from a group of investors led by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Hearst Corp…
Traditional 411 providers are girding for battle against the Googles and 800-FREE411’s of the world…
Jingle Networks (1-800-FREE411) has launched promotional text messages, which are opt-in for consumers…
Now this is quite interesting. My friends over at 1-800-FREE411 have teamed up with CBS on a new advertising campaign for the fall TV lineup. CBS is using audio ads…
Television station CBS is promoting its fall TV lineup over the telephone with advertiser-supported directory assistance service Jingle Networks’ 1-800-FREE411…
CBS launched a campaign with ad-supported directory assistance provider 1-800-FREE411. These free listings look-up services allow advertisers to target…
Callers checking 1-800-FREE411 this past Sunday for directory assistance may have learned The Amazing Race was premiering that night after 60 Minutes…
In an effort to leave no new media stone unturned to help launch its new season, CBS is now turning to one of the oldest platforms of all: telephone operators…
George Schweitzer, CBS TV Network’s marketing guru, continues to push the creative envelope to get the word out to consumers about the network’s new fall season…
CBS’s iconic logo may be an eye, but it could as easily be an ear given its latest promotional gambit for the new season schedule, which launches this week…
In these hi-tech times, information on-the-go is the only way to go. But getting the 411 can quickly add up. A recent study shows that 31% of 411 users have no idea what it costs…
How much are you spending on 411? A lot, according to The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen…
Even before gas hit $3 a gallon, most people I know were looking for ways to save. Most of us always are – it’s a necessity of life. But too often, we focus only on the big stuff…
As most consumers will tell you, using your cell phone to call 411 can ring up a hefty bill. Some people will do just about anything to avoid the charges. But there is a new option…
Scott Kliger, co-founder of 1-800-FREE411, speaks about the service with author of Buzzmarketing Mark Hughes and co-host Jen Calhoun…
A raft of start-up companies has begun offering free directory assistance over the phone. But callers won’t get their numbers right away: They have to listen to an advertisement before hearing their desired listing…
Scott Kliger hated 411 charges. A buck fifty for a phone listing? Hated it! His solution: Make it free – as in 1-800-FREE411. His Jingle Networks applied a new advertising model to an old database. “It’s like Google for the phone,” he says…
Not long ago, the price of a cup of coffee got you a phone number from directory assistance. Now, calling 411 will nick you for the price of a Starbucks coffee. But take heart. A new crop of 800 services is offering free directory assistance…
Dialing 411 to get information, especially long-distance numbers, is no cheap thrill these days. Over the years, the system has become more automated – and expensive…
Calling 411 for directory assistance can be maddeningly expensive. Carriers like Sprint and Verizon charge more than $1 and sometimes as much as $2 a call from a cellphone…
Millions of dollars are spent each year on directory assistance calls, otherwise known as 411. Now there’s a way you can get those listings at no charge…
In the past few weeks, thrifty New Yorkers have latched on to a new service that provides free directory assistance, which, considering Americans spend about $8 billion a year on such calls, could prove to be quite a boon…
With the price of directory assistance rising to unheard-of levels and regulation stifling innovation, maybe it’s time to try something different…
