The Effective CIO

Tools That Work: Dial2Do February 4, 2009

I love tools that make my phone more useful.  One of my favorite tools has been Jott, a voice-driven service that lets you use many other web services by simply speaking.  Although Jott can do many neat things, the simplest is the best: sending yourself quick reminders and notes by calling Jott from your phone.  Jott long ago earned a place in my speed-dial list (#8), allowing me to send messages while driving or in other places where texting was not an option.

Sadly, Jott is slipping from that spot.  Jott converted from a free service to a for-fee service last year, and even then I was happy to pay for an annual subscription.  Others could still use Jott in a cut-down for-free version, but now that is going away.  On February 2, all free Jott services were discontinued.

Luckily, a new free service has emerged: Dial2Do. Dial2Do offers most of the services that Jott did, and adds a few clever new twists.  Best of all, Dial2Do is free, so I have no reason to recommend Jott anymore.  I’ve even updated my Tools page, replacing Jott with Dial2Do.

Beyond the ability to create reminders and to-dos, Dial2Do will also read things back to you.  You can configure it to read you your email or your favorite blog (and this one, too).  It will give you the weather, sports, and news.  Dial2Do will even read you your Twitter stream and allow you to reply!

Dial2Do is something of a cross between Jott and the old TellMe service that pioneered voice-driven mobile apps back in 2000.  You can still use TellMe by dialing 1-800-555-TELL if you’d like, but you’ll gain access to more useful services by setting up your Dial2Do account.

I strongly recommend that everyone give Dial2Do a try.  You can be up and running in minutes, and the ability to send messages by voice really extends the power of your phone, especially while driving.  Act now, while the price is right!