CallSpark Offers Mobile Calling Search Engine

A mobile phone's built-in address book has limited usefulness. For instance, it only allows users to call people whose numbers they've already entered – which means people they know well. Directory assistance, on the other hand, is about reaching people or establishments one knows almost nothing about. But there's no easy way to deal with the vast territory in between – to reach people one knows only casually, or to learn more about people and companies one knows almost nothing about. San Francisco-based CallSpark, which presented at the recent DEMO conference, is trying to fill that gap.

CallSpark calls itself a "call experience" company. It claims it will help people find just the right number quickly and easily. Users, it says, need merely type in the result they want to get the number they want. CallSpark uses a ranking algorithm to make sure the outcome is right.

It may find the number in a variety of ways. If it's for a commercial business, CallSpark may look in a directory such as White Pages, using geolocation data to make sure it's the right branch for the user's whereabouts. It may also search the user's Gmail or Outlook contact lists, or social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. And it may search reviews and other public information via sources such as Yelp and Yellow Pages to provide information before the call. For calls to friends, users may simply type in the person's first name, and CallSpark will return a number of results to choose from.

CallSpark will also provide contextual information during the call for viewing on the mobile handset. For business calls, it may be customer information from Salesforce.com. For friends, it may be their latest Facebook update or Twitter tweet. People and companies can also provide their own information on "ring pages." For individuals, that may be personal information as well as social network updates. For companies, it could include things like local branch addresses or store hours.

CallSpark will be available soon for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and PalmPre.