Google continues to undermine the business models of the last generation, but their new 1-800-Goog-411 service has been receiving mixed reviews.

While the new service is simple, free, and has cool options (SMS directions, maps), some people are none too happy with the voice coming through the other end of the phone.

It turns out that Google used its own staffers–not professional voice actors–to do the voices. And some think it shows.

At university, we had a phone registration system called MARS that would also tell you your grades. One day my roommate found out that a woman in the registrar’s office was the voice of MARS. It was strange to realize that the voice that had been telling me my grades and that classes were full, came from a living breathing human.

Photo by nickstarr