Prank Calls Free: Courtesy of Google.

I'm sure many of you have seen this by now, but if you haven't, guess what feature Google just added to Google Maps? Well, if you search for any business with a provided phone number, you'll find that on any business in Google Maps, Google places a call link next to the phone number, which is under the business's address. When you click this link, the script will open, and prompt for your telephone number. Upon entering your telephone number, Google will call your phone, and the respective business's number will appear in your Caller ID. When you answer, you will hear "Connecting your call," and within seconds, you'll be connected to the business, for free, and Google will pay the bill for that call. While the paranoid Google-bashers among us may fear that Google will steal their phone numbers in their quest for world domination, there are those among us, who will still find this useful.


Now, this feature opens up two very exciting prospects. Naturally, I'll start with the more entertaining one. For all of you who this hasn't occurred to yet, you should realize by now, the simplicity of entering someone else's number into the dialog box, and having that business supposedly "call them." Think embarrassing store (need i say more?), or say, the athletic department of an university whose sports team your friend despises. Now, for the more practical one. Say you have a long-distance friend anywhere in the US, if you take a couple seconds, and make him a fake business like "Joe's Auto Shop," with his phone number, you can call him for free whenever you're in reach of a computer. While this may be a bit useless in this age of cellphones, Vonage, and Skype, it's still worth a try.

Oh, Windows Live Local has had this feature for a longer time, but you simply don't get the same level of satisfaction as you do with Google, you know what I mean?

So. happy prank calling, and remember, it's on Google.