I'm ALL NUM

Jamptap has recently stumbled upon two new Google operators, ALLNUM and NUM. The operators translate a search query with Google Number Search (GNS). In case you don't know, GNS is a method for faster and easier querying with a mobile phone - you only have to tap once on the key of the desired letter (make sure your phone is in numeric entry mode) and Google translates the string into the desired word.

The difference between ALLNUM and NUM is that ALLNUM will process all terms in a search query with GNS, and NUM will translate the first string in the search query with GNS and process second, third, etc... search terms as text. Although they appear in caps in this post, the operators only work in lower-case, i.e. 'allnum:' and 'num:'. Also, the NUM operator is not the same as the 'num' used in '&num=100' which can be tacked onto the the end of the address bar to show 100 results per page.

How do they work? Let's try an example with ALLNUM:

Here is an example of a search done on a Nokia wap browser. The results for an ALLNUM search of '48273426' (which is the word 'Guardian' in numbers):




So, there you have it. It is the same exact search as 'Guardian' in google except it took the user only 8 key presses to spell the word 'Guardian,' as opposed to 14 with multi-tapping.

You may be asking yourself...what is the use of the ALLNUM or NUM operators? There really isn't any end-user application for it, unlike ALLINURL or ALLINTITLE. ALLNUM may be useful for translating a set of numbers, perhaps in a domain name that appears to spell out a brand or product, like 642767638.com or 48273426.com. The best answer - and I'm no expert on this - is that NUM and ALLNUM allow two different types of google number searching whereas only one type was available before.

The last time Google Number Search was live (see pic),
users were forwarded to the Google wap site at a url such as this one: www.google.com/wml?hl=en&wmlmode=num and the user was able to enter numeric search terms separated by zeros (as spaces). The user wasn't able to enter textual terms in the query if, for some reason, GNS couldn't resolve a word-number (we'll get into this later). ALLNUM, it is believed, will be added to search scripts for wap google search and will allow the user to translate an entire query, using zeros as spaces, with GNS. The NUM operator, however, added to the search script, will translate ONLY the first term in the query and the rest of the query can be written in text. When NUM is concerned, the definition of the 'first term' is tricky - it is considered the first set of numbers even including zeros. So, if you are only searching via number search and using multiple search terms, NUM works the same as ALLNUM only if all spaces are denoted with a zero. If you manage to insert a space on your wap phone instead of the zero, NUM will only apply GNS to the first set of numbers. The benefit of NUM is that you can search with GNS and regular text googling at the same time.

The question is why would someone will want to use this feature?

The answer lies in the imperfections of GNS. GNS works perfectly only using words that have been absorbed into our English language. Names of newer technology companies, such as Cingular (formed in 2001) or Obopay (to launch in 2006), don't work when ALLNUM'ed and return a hodgepodge of sites chock full of either numbers or GNS-loose-cannon-results (okay, I guess I'll use Obopay to buy drinks at the Manray nightclub!!).

So, Google created the ALLNUM operator to perform GNS on an entire query for numeric terms that works with GNS, and reserved NUM for searching with both numbers AND with letters when a search term doesn't work with GNS. For example, let's say I want to find reviews on a new tech company, like Obopay. If I enter 'num:7384397' for reviews, I can tag on the text 'obopay' - for which the numbers don't work in GNS - to the end of the query:

num:7384397 obopay.

You can try this search on a wap browser or emulator:
http://www.google.com/wml?wmlmode=num&q=num:73843970obopay

Note how the search using allnum is completely different, only returning results for the word 'reviews,:'
http://www.google.com/wml?wmlmode=num&q=allnum:73843970obopay

So, the NUM operator incorporates GNS with the flexibility of searching with letters for terms that GNS can't resolve (like 626729 for Obopay). Another application for NUM is when there is too much competition for a GNS search term such as '222' (ABC, BBC, CBC, AAA, etc...). One could query 'num:837767476 abc' to easily find coverage on terrorism from ABC News. The same goes for words that lie outside common usage, like Boron or fetid.

The question is if there will be a portal that will allow the mobile user to not only search with ALLNUM but also NUM. Previously, GNS users were prompted with the option to 'Number Entire Web.' In the future, users will probably be forwarded, perhaps upon entering 466453.com or google.mobi, to a url something like this:
www.google.com/wml?wmlmode=num&q=allnum:$(q) and prompted with a more updated lingo, such as 'T9 The Web.' This will be for an ALLNUM search.

The big question is if there will be another prompt made available for a NUM search.

Returning to the GNS inability to discern names of newer companies, can we assume that ALLNUM (or NUM) only works with names of companies that were formed before 2001? The ALLNUM for 8374966 (Verizon, formed in 2000) works fine and so do the numbers for Fandango (formed in 2000). Perhaps Fandango is a special case because it was a form of flamenco before becoming known as an online ticket seller.

The theory holds water when applied to Apple's product line. The ALLNUM for iPod (launched Oct. 2003) and iTunes (launched April 2003) (source) return a hodgepodge of numbers. However, the ALLNUM for iBook (released in 1999) works fine.

Similarly, companies whose name uses the dash, like T-Mobile, lose big-time. In these cases, the user should insert a zero to simulate a dash in order to achieve the desired result. For example, whereas the top result for '8662453' is Umobile.edu, for the University of Mobile (Alabama), the top result for '80662453' is T-Mobile's site. (A dash in place of the zero works, but that isn't realistic on a cell phone.)

What does this mean for companies like T-Mobile and Cingular, whose SEO strategy needs to be tweaked for number search?

A final brain twist is that the ALLNUM search demonstrated earlier on the Nokia wap phone for '48273426' (Guardian) is actually automatically done for you when you point your WAP browser to 48273426.com. Why would Google, Inc. be interested in the word 'Guardian'? The answer can be found here: 'Google as the guardian of our privacy.' Another tidbit: Google, Inc., leases the domain property, 48273426.com, from WordDial NZ Ltd.

Tags : ALLNUM,466453,Worddial,obopay,google number search,gns,word dial