A while back Lance wrote a great post on using Jott to send reminders to yourself via email.
For owners of Windows Mobile devices, there is another tool that will also let you do that: VoiceMinder.
This inexpensive software lets you record a voice note on your Pocket PC or Smartphone and then sends your voice note to you via email so you don’t forget about it. This is a great tool for situations where you are out driving around and you get an idea you don’t want to lose (or think of something you have to do that is not written down in any of your lists).
When I had a Treo 700w, this software worked great on it. All I had to do was press the designated button on the Treo (my setup used the side button), speak the idea or reminder into the Treo, press the button again to end the recording, and whoosh: VoiceMinder sent the audio recordings to me via my email. I haven’t installed this on my T-Mobile Dash, yet: I really don’t have any need for it now that I don’t travel very much. And, having just upgraded my Dash to Windows Mobile 6, I am treading gently with software additions and not adding anything I really don’t use regularly. But, I have not found any reports of it not working well on a Dash or on any Windows Mobile device. And, it did work great on my Treo (and saved my butt a couple of times).
The idea for this software came from Jason Dunn of Pocket PC Thoughts, and the idea was skillfully implemented by Alex Kac and his fine team at WebIS. I think they’ve done a nice job with it. You might want to check it out and see if it’s a good tool for you to add to your toolbox.
Update: Thomas R. Hall has some great tips on VoiceMinder alternatives in the comments to this post, including an alternative that works for BlackBerry users.
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VoiceMinder is one of the pieces of software that I miss not having on my BlackBerry Pearl. I still use it a lot on the MDA, though. It’s great, and works well on the Dash, by the way.
I didn’t reply about Jott, but I have used it and have decided it is not worth it to me. Why? Because they use transcriptionists. On the one hand, you get accurate transcriptions, and they don’t take that long. On the other hand, someone is _transcribing_ the message, which means even though they don’t know who’s message it is, it could still be personal information. I’d rather that not happen. Plus, how will it scale?
Instead, I’ve found a GREAT replacement in SimulScribe. It uses a voice recognition technology (like Dragon Naturally Speaking), and is pretty accurate. It also allows you to send the recognized text and and attachment of the audio too via email. VERY nice. They also have a new service, SimulSays, which is like the Visual Voicemail feature Apple is touting. That works well on my BlackBerry Pearl.
It is a pay service, but it is worth it for me. However, I really want a VoiceMinder-like program for the BlackBerry. Until it comes out (or I write it), I’ll keep using the excellent VoiceMinder on my MDA.
Thomas, Thank you for the great tips on alternatives (and for letting me know VoiceMinder works fine on my Dash). (Maybe someday you can fill me in on why you stopped using the Dash - was the small keyboard a factor? I haven’t tried any of T-Mobile’s other products.)
Thanks again for the great tips.