UpSnap What's That Number?

I’m a man. Men are born with certain characteristics, we have short hair, we don’t understand why women take so long to get ready, and do not stop and ask for directions under any circumstances. There’s a sub genre of asking for directions that us men just won’t do and that’s call 411 (as menwe are also cheap, one call puts a $1.50 dent in our thin wallets).

UpSnap.com has swooped in to rescue all men*. The geniuses at UpSnap have taken something that is already ingrained into my life and found a way to make it better. You register your phonen number on their site, cleverly named www.UpSnap.com, and then you send a text message with your search information. They send you a text message back to you phone with a list of contacts based on your inquiry. So it’s basically 411 text messaging style. There’s one more aspect of UpSnap that really tips the boat for me, it’s free! The first search result is a paid slot which makes this service free for cheap ol’ me, the rest of the results are taken from a public database of listed numbers.

I decided that this was the price for me and gave it a whirl. Went to the site, input my 10 digit phone number, and in 9 seconds I had a new text message. The message told me this:

“To find a listing reply to this message with: Business Name City State or Area Code or Zip e.g.
Kmart new york NY
Kmart 212
Kmart 10016”

I sent out a text saying “LJ’s San Francisco”

I got a reply that said:

“Reply only with the letter of choice eg ‘b’
a – Free Call: LJ Quinns Lighthouse
b – Lj’s Martini Club & Grill
c – Bubble Lounge The
d – Jug Shop The
e – More”

‘b’ is what I was looking for so, I replied with the letter ‘b’ and it was all I needed to send. Seconds later here’s what I received:

“Lj’s Martini Club & Grill – 101 4th Street, 94103 (415)-369-6114”

Normally I’d use text messaging to ask a friend where Lj’s is, or what the phone number is. Those friends either take an hr to get to my text request or never respond. UpSnap also does white pages as well as price checks!

I know how to text message, and I know I like free, UpSnap you complete me.

*Note: UpSnap is also for women.

This was noted at the Under the Radar Convention held at Microsoft’s Mountain View campus.