Philips Electronics is launching a new service that lets you get local recommendations online or on your mobile device, reports The New York Times.
The service is dubbed Philips Simplicity Concierge and draws information from the Conde Nast database of service providers. It's targeted at travelers looking for a particular service such as a restaurant or spa in a new town. Users send text queries and get a listing of five options along with phone numbers to make reservations.
Conde Nast will promote the service, which allows the publisher to gather a treasure trove of user behavior patterns, with ads both in its print publications and on those publication's websites. Philips is also running ads on web-enabled mobile devices that point to the company's area on Amazon. Those ads have yet to yield significant results, though.