Personal Technology Tips in Plain English
On The Go / Travel
First Look: Twitter Peek Dedicated Tweeting Device
Mar 10th
Seems like the Twitterverse is expanding at break neck speed these days.
If you’re tweeting from your cell phone using text messaging, most likely you’re on an unlimited texting plan. Or so we hope.
Tweeting is fun, and it sure is convenient to tweet on the run via your phone.
BUT if you’re anywhere close to being an ubertweeter, or just someone that has come to embrace the Tweetworld, tweeting via text messaging ain’t going to be enough.
You need something that can store and easily shuffle through the hundreds of tweets you received daily. You’d also need a quick way to scan your own @ messages and DM (direct messages) received via Twitter so that you could respond.
Enter the Peek Inc’s Twitter Peek device. Billed as the world’s first (and only so far) dedicated Twitter device, it is a simple do-on-thing-only device. And did we mention there’s no contract, or expensive billing plans either? They even have a lifetime service plan so you can forget about costs for the rest of your life!
Here’s a first look at the product I received from Peek Inc recently to review for you here on essistme.com. Over the next weeks you’ll hopefully see more of the TwitterPeek as I tweet with it and find out what it’s good at . . . and NOT.
I’m looking forward to trying out this device since I get A LOT of Tweets on just one of my accounts and have lots of interaction with the thousands of tweeps on my following/follower lists.
GOT A TWITTER PEEK? Leave a comment below with your own thoughts about the device and share your experience.
Look Ma, No Hands! Part II: How To Search Google Without Typing or Saying a Thing
Feb 27th
Google search is one of my favorite resources for me while I’m on the road. Personally I love being able to look things up via text message on the fly — faster than 411 can deliver results.
Sometimes I’ll use Google via my mobile browser on my phone.
But there’s a new mobile search app which Google has released to the Android phone platform which takes mobile search to a whole another level.
They already have the ability to take any voice recording and integrate it into their searches. It is a matter of time before voice search becomes widely available to mobile phones.
But in the meantime, wherever you may be, you are now a SNAP, not a click, away from search results.
Here’s how . . .
Look Ma, No Hands! How to Tweet Via Voice
Feb 26th
Sometimes you don’t have a PC with you.
Sometimes you don’t want (or cannot because you’re driving for example) text your Twitter status update.
Sometimes you just want to shout it out to the Twitterverse.
What if there wasa voice transcription service that will take your call and transcribe your voice message into a Tweet via your Twitter account?
All you would have to do is register your phone number so that the service will recognize your caller ID and know which Twitter account to use to put out the voice-transcribed tweet.
And I’d set it up so that it is a toll-free number so that you can use ANY phone to call in your tweet.
Wouldn’t that be cool? Guess what. . . Read the rest of this entry »
Do You Call or Text While You Drive? Be Honest.
Sep 1st
According to a hush hush government study that wasn’t public until recently, people are 4 times as likely to cause an accident when they’re talking on a cell phone while driving than those that follow the law and don’t text or call while driving.
It all comes down to one reason apparently, you’re overestimating your abilities. You’re not truthful with yourself!
Here’s a great interactive tool that lets you really see the statistics for just how distracting it can be. The NY Times has a simple online game that you can play right now.
Other tactics to educate include a video that went viral with almost 2 million views on YouTube to date – graphic and intense, but serious and realistic:
None of this will probably change your actual behavior, but at least you’re officially informed of your shortcomings on the road the next time you reach for that mobile handset!
How To Dictate Transcribed Notes To Yourself
Aug 28th
Being able to dictate letters and notes used to be a power and status symbol because it usually meant you were important enough to have a secretary or admin to take your mini-cassette recorder and type away.
But here’s one example where technology is the great big equalizer. You no longer need to have an assistant nor do you have to be someone important to have your notes transcribed for you.
Here’s some options to get emails, notes and letters recorded and transcribed for you:
- I used to call the service run by Jott.com to get notes and reminders sent to my email. It even has a neat feature that lets you update your blogs with the transcribed notes generated. But alas, they started to charge money for their services (GASP!)
- Next, there is dial2do.com – you can have your calls transcribed and send to yourself or others. This service also connects to Twitter and other services.
- Google Voice gives you the ability to have your voicemails transcribed too. Here’s a simple Google Voice “hack” which lets you have the service transcribe your own notes and have them delivered to you via email immediately. Perfect for writing things down when you don’t have a pen and paper handy – like when you meet someone and want their contact info or their website address.
Here are some scenarios in which to use this type of feature:
- When meeting someone for the first time and you want to get their contact info – just call and then give them the phone to speak their name phone number, email, website, etc.
- After getting off the phone with a customer service rep regarding a complaint or other issue, immediately pick-up the phone and call to record the details on the incident including the person’s name. The email will be your time-stamp of the day/time of your call so that if you ever need to refer to that call again, you have all the details.
- When you want to remember the telephone # or web address of a company that you see on TV or while driving, just dial and repeat what you just saw!
- Create a “TO-DO” category/folder and filter in your email box and prepend every note with “TO DO LIST ITEM” or something similar the filter can handle. You’ll have a simple to-do list IN your email without using separate programs/apps/features. Just delete the email when you’ve complete the task.
What other types of uses can you think of for using voice transcription via phone? Leave your ideas and leave a comment below.
How To Send A Fax Via Internet For Free
Jun 25th
There’s tons of free incoming e-fax services out there.
Personally, I have been using k7.net unified messaging lately which gives me free inbound faxes and voicemail.
However when you want to SEND A FAX, that’s a completely different story. This is where the online faxing companies make their money.
TrustFax.com, efax.com, faxaway.com all charge different rates for outbound faxing capabilities – per page, per minute of transmission, monthly fees, etc.
S
ince I don’t send faxes often, the two services I use are www.faxzero.com and now www.myfax.com — as you guessed, both are free faxing services.
But one of these two internet faxing services is the clear winner. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »
How To Send Free Text Messages From Your Apple iPhone (or any other cell phone)
Apr 5th
The original iPhone cellular plan from AT&T included 200 free SMS Text Messages per month…
But AT&T and Apple got wise as they started to sell millions of new iPhones and no longer include free text messaging in the data plan.
Now, you have to pay $5 or more to add on buckets of text messages or else you’re stuck paying $0.15 per text message a la carte.
And especially if you have a teen daughter that did nothing but send 10,000+ text messages in a single month at school, home, and everywhere else, you’ll be stuck with a massive cell phone bill (imagine getting a cell phone bill from Verizon Wireless for $4,756.25 in a single month?) you need to know about this free service.
Here’s a great tip for how to send free text message from the iPhone WITHOUT any additional text message plan.
Of course this also works on any other web-enabled smart phone like Windows Mobile devices… Read the rest of this entry »