• Epicenter, Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:15 PM

Wired blogger Terrence Russell got a demo of the stealth local search service Grayboxx with its CEO Bob Chandra. What sets Grayboxx apart from other local models is that it's removing the emphasis from user-submitted reviews, Chandra says.

Relying on the human dimension means only 40-or-so categories get covered, because people like to talk about restaurants, but not necessarily notaries or patio furniture stores. Grayboxx uses a "preference scoring" system based on a patented algorithm.

"When users take actions with a business by calling or visiting," Chandra says, "we call those implicit endorsements. What our system ultimately does is cobble these clues together, and provide a rating."

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