1-800-FREE411 Adds Category Search

By now, lots of you have found your way to 1-800-FREE411 to find phone numbers of people or businesses without being charged $1.50 or $2 for a directory assistance call. Well, Jingle Networks, the Boston-based company that offers the advertising-sponsored free service, is adding a category search feature that allows you to search for businesses that you don't know by name.

So if you're looking for an Italian restaurant, or a plumber, or a dentist in a certain town but are not sure of the names, you can search for them by phone, free of charge, if your big book of Yellow Pages is not handy. To reach a category search, after you enter the city, state, and whether you are looking for a business or residential number as prompted by the recording, you'll be asked if you are looking for a business by name or by category if you've said "business." Just say "category," and you'll receive a mix of businesses that pay to advertise on the site along with others in the town. It will not be a full list, obviously, but it may provide what you're looking for in a pinch.

The category search is available beginning today in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, San Diego, Orlando, and Detroit. It will be rolled out to several other cities by the end of the month and throughout the year, says Lyn Chitow Oakes, senior vice president of marketing for Jingle Networks. "We're basically recreating the (Yellow Pages) model customers are comfortable with on the phone," she says.

Because it's not available yet in the New York City area, I couldn't try it out for you. So anyone who gives it a try in the early weeks, let us know how it goes. Happy free dialing for numbers!