Jott This!!
I “discovered” Jott today. This is a terrific little app that basically transcribes your messages for you. You call Jott and leave your message. Then Jott transcribes it and either emails or sends a text message to you or your chosen contact(s). That’s pretty cool all by itself, but it also integrates with other apps to make it even more powerful. It’s especially useful given that more and more states are enacting laws about not driving while talking on a cell phone. Just pop your bluetooth headset on and you’re good to go.
It is quick and easy to get a Jott account. And free. Head to www.jott.com. Fill out your info, confirm it with the email they send you, then add 866.JOTT.123 to your contacts list. Make that first call and see how easy it is. You can set it up to get confirmation emails, text messages, or both. I made “my phone” a contact (an idea I got from lifehacker) and didn’t enter an email address for those times when I just want a text message. For email reminders, I added “me” as a contact. You can also add groups, which comes in quite handy for work or family.
There is a very simple how-to guide and FAQs at Jott’s site. It’s pretty much a no-brainer though. When you call, a cheerful voice asks, “Who do you want to Jott?”. You tell her your contact’s name, then give your info. She confirms your message has been received with “Got it!”, and you hang up. How easy is that!!
There are several applications, including the ever-popular Google Calendar webapp, that use Jott links. How cool is it to leave a message on your cell phone then have it show up on your Google calendar the next time you open it?!? Jott also works with Remember the Milk (www.rememberthemilk.com), which was voted the best web-based task manager at lifehacker.com. RTM also integrates with iCal, Google Calendar, Gmail and more. You can use Jott to let everyone know what you’re doing on Twitter, and you can post a blog entry using popular blog apps such as WordPress and Blogger. You can record short messages up to 30 seconds (hey, I said they were short!) that you can playback at your account page on Jott’s website.
I played around with the accuracy, and it’s very good. They do give you some tips in the guide, so check those out as well. You can spell odd or difficult names and make it less likely for an error to occur.
This is one hot application. I still can’t believe it’s this good AND it’s free! Try it today. You’ll be hooked.
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