Several Internet based
applications are designed to work with your cell phone text
messaging service. This is a convenient way to schedule reminders
for appointments, manage your schedule, find driving locations, and
even get traffic alerts at designated commute times during the day.
Spend a little bit of time to get familiar with these web based
applications and you will have a powerful personal administrative
assistant in your pocket.
Driving Directions
Google:
if your cell phone does
not already have a GPS feature, and if you find yourself in need of
directions from point to point, you can get MapQuest style driving
directions through your cell phone by using the Short Message
Service (SMS) capabilities.
-
Compose a text message with the starting address and the destination address
-
Send your message to Google (466453)
-
Within a minute, Google will send back a text message containing turn by turn driving directions
I know that you want to
see if this works, so go ahead and try it now, I will wait right
here and hold this place for you in the article.
Tell Me:
Would you prefer to have
voice commands?
-
Dial 1-800-555-TELL, that's 1-800-555-8355
-
Follow the voice prompts and when you are finished the service will send the driving directions to your phone.
The Tellme service can
also retrieve business listings, news, weather reports, and other
information and updates.
Save 1-800-555-8355 in
your cell phone, just in case you need this service when traveling
on business, with friends, or generally in need of directions.
MapQuest:
Perhaps you like to look
up your driving directions in advance on your PC at home or office.
If you use MapQuest, once you have looked up the directions on-line,
you can send the turn by turn instructions to your cell phone by
using the "Send to Cell" option. This is a handy alternative to
printed directions and a convenient tool if you have already looked
up the directions on-line anyway.
On-Line Administrative Assistance
Keep track of your
appointments and integrate your cell phone with the free on-line
Google Calendar service (www.google.com/calendar)
This free calendar
service enables you to manage your schedule, meetings, and
appointments. You can share your calendar on-line with co-workers,
add events from the web, and much more. This service can also send
courtesy reminders and updates with important information to your
cell phone.
Start by creating a
Google Calendar and register your cell phone on your Google Calendar
Account. Click the Settings Link and choose Notifications, then
follow the registration instructions. Google will send a text
message to your phone with a verification code that must be entered
on the calendar site as a one time confirmation procedure. When you
have completed this step, choose the notifications that you want to
receive via SMS (text messages). Notifications can include event
reminders, new invitations, meetings, or general reminders that you
maintain within your Google Calendar.
Once your calendar is
set up in Google, you can access upcoming events through your phone
by sending a text message to GVENT (48368) with one of the following
commands:
-
NEXT for a notification of your next appointment
-
DAY for a notification of the entire day's schedule
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NDAY for a notification of tomorrow's schedule
Start a Google Calendar
to coordinate your schedule. Share it with co-workers, friends, or
family. Use the Google Calendar notifications to send you convenient
reminders with relevant text of upcoming appointments, and turn your
cell phone into a pocket administrative assistant.
Need to Find a Hot Spot?
Use your cell phone to
sniff out Public Access WiFi Hot Spots so you can get on-line with
your notebook computer.
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Create a text message that says "wifi" and the city, ZIP code, or area code, then send it to 4INFO (44636)
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The 4INFO service will send you a return message with names, addresses, and phone numbers of the three nearest locations, and whether they are free or not.
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Need more listings? Just reply to the message with an "m" for more listings in your area.
Timely Traffic Alerts
If you would like to
receive scheduled traffic updates to prepare you for the commute
into work, or the commute home, go to
www.traffic.com and sign up for
traffic alerts. You can receive traffic alerts automatically sent by
text message to your phone at the designated times. Alternatively,
you can dial the Traffic Line (866-698-7232) to get reports for your
city and even specific roads.
Emergency
The worldwide Emergency
Number for Mobile Telephones is 112. On most phones, the number 112
can be dialed even when the keypad is locked.
Hidden Battery Power
if your cell phone is
running low on power and you need a short term boost, dial the keys
*3370# and your cell phone will restart with reserve power and show
a 50% increase in battery power. The reserve power will recharge the
next time that you recharge your phone.
Free Directory Service
If you do not want to be
charged for calling directory assistance from your cell phone, dial
(800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 and you will not incur any charges
for directory assistance. Program this number into your phone for
future convenient reference.
If you are going to
carry your phone with you, why not make it work for you?
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