My friend Brooke at work turned me on to Google SMS.

This is a neat, potentially incredibly useful feature that you might not realize is available at your fingertips. It is free and almost instant.

You send a text message query to GOOGLE (phone number 466453 spells Google) and it texts you back with an answer immediately.

I tried texting "Lindsay Lohan Age", and Google SMSed back with her date of birth (July 2, 1986) and a source (wikipedia).

I was hooked.

Next, I tried "Typewriter Invented Year", but Google SMS couldn't answer that one.

Later research found that the typewriter was "invented" through a number of innovations over about 8 years. (1870-1878)

For the next one, waiting at the airport in Tucson, I tried "Time in Austin". I wanted information about what the time change would be from California to Austin. This time I got two text messages worth of information, but not the answer I wanted.

I sent Google the text "Homestead Hotel Austin". Google got it right again with the information I was looking for:

Homestead Village, 507 S 1st St. Austin, 78704 512-476-1818. There are apparently two Homestead hotels in Austin, and it sent both addresses. I recognized which one was ours.

Next, I tried "Pearl Brewery Location", to find out if the Pearl Brewery was still in San Antonio. This did not return any results, probably in part because the brewery had been closed down, not moved.

On Monday, it was hot and humid in Austin and I wanted to know just how hot it was. I text-messaged Google "Weather Austin" and got back a five-line status report including the temperature (86F), Humidity (61%) and wind info (S-7 mph).

For some information, like finding a tow truck or auto repair shop, I could have simply used the phone itself and called 411 for similar results. For other questions, and for fast, private answers, this is a terrific service which has already become folded into my everyday life.