I am always looking for ways to streamline my life. Yesterday I came across a new web-based service that allows you to send yourself, or anyone else, an email or text message by talking, not typing. There are many benefits to this, safety being a a big one. I am not a “text while driving guy” but I know many people are. In my opinion, any type of distraction while driving is very dangerous so any way to reduce it is a good idea. But, if you regularly use your cell phone while driving, this is a better alternative than texting to answer emails or text messages you receive. At least your eyes stay on the road.
Sounds Neat, But Does It Work?
The service is called Jott. and so far it has impressed me with its capabilities. I sent myself a memo from my cellphone with absolutely no problems. I also sent my brother a message with some large words in it and he was able to understand every word in the email. The neat part is that you don’t have to train the software to understand your voice. To use Jott you sign up, for free, at their site and then add the phone number and email you will be using along with your contact list. Within minutes you can send emails or text messages. The maximum length of a message is 30 seconds.
How Best To Use It
Over the years, there have been lots of voice-recognition software products introduced to the market that were supposed to make life easier. I tried a few and was pretty much umimpressed with the results. Jott seems to have gotten it right and the price (free, so far) can’t be beat. I will use the service to transcribe a quick note to myself after work meetings to document the activity. I also see myself using it as a way to record thoughts for blog articles, reminders to self, etc. There is also a feature that will allow you to send the message directly to your blog to create a quick post. I haven’t tried it yet but I might.
Give Jott a try. It works well, costs nothing and is definitely a way to save time and stay organized.