Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Voice Mail Upgrades - Technology


1) Pinger

What is Pinger?

Pinger is a free service for your mobile phone that connects you with friends so you can find, see and hear their profiles right on your phone. You can even send your own voice messages directly to any mobile phone.
How does it work?

Go to m.pinger.com from your mobile phone and explore profiles of people in your area or around the country. Look at pics, listen to their voice intros and even reply with a personal voice message to start Pinger conversations with people you’ve seen and heard. Or if you’re a bit shy, “tap” the people you like with funny audio clips that go right to their mobile phones. get discovered by customizing your own profile. Upload your picture, record a voice intro and share your interests so other people can find you. Invite your friends to check out your profile, comment on it and even rate it all from their mobile phones. Of course, your mobile number is always kept private. call 858-2PINGER (858 274-6437) trade voice messages with anyone you find on Pinger, or anyone whose mobile number you already know. Just call 858-2-PINGER from your mobile phone, say the name of the person you want to message and talk. They get your message on their mobile phone and can reply with just one button.

Is it free?

Yes—we don't charge anything to use Pinger, but your carrier may charge for phone calls, text messages and web browsing.

When would I use Pinger?

Pinger is a great tool for when you are looking for something to do on your mobile phone or when you want to communicate with someone. Use Pinger to browse other members’ profiles, reach out and tap them or send voice messages. It's always a good time to use Pinger:
when you want to reach out to your friends.
while you are waiting for something to happen.
to stay in touch with people in faraway lands.
now that you need a new crush

How do I get started?
There are two ways to get started, from your mobile phone:
go to m.pinger.com from your phone's browser, or
dial 858 2 PINGER and follow the prompts.
Whether you connect to Pinger via your browser or via a phone call, you’ll immediately be able to browse profiles and send messages.Make sure you tell or invite your friends to register as well—that way they can create their own profiles and send their own messages, in addition to responding to yours.

Does it work on my phone and carrier?

Pinger works with nearly any US phone that can receive text messages and have data plans.Phone providers include: AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon, Alltel, Metro PCS, US Cellular, Cellular One/Dobson, Unicel, SunCom, Cincinnati Bell, Cellular South, Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, NTELOS, Cricket Wireless and Tracfone.

For More information go to http://www.pinger.com/

2) Jott
Jott Networks operates a voice to text service that makes staying organized and in touch easy. Jott allows consumers to easily and safely send emails and text messages, set reminders, organize lists, and post to web services with their voice.

For Example;

Jott to Self Send emails to yourself

Jott to Someone Else Send emails and texts to your contacts

Jott Reminders Get text message and email reminders

Jott to Group Email and text a group of contacts
Jott to List Add items to your to-do list

Jott to Link Send messages to web services

A review on Jott.com;

Why You Should Jott Yourself

Free voice-to-text service is an excellent productivity tool for busy mobile professionals.
James A. MartinPC World Wednesday, April 16, 2008; 2:19 PM

In a recent column,Memos on the Go, I briefly mentioned Jott. It's a free service that transcribes voice messages you send it into text, then e-mails a transcription of the message to you. The idea is to make it easy to record memos and reminders for yourself. I didn't have the space to get into more detail about Jott then, but the service is definitely worth a longer look. In fact, like PC World' sSteve Bass, I've become a fan. In my opinion, Jott is a fantastic productivity tool that every busy mobile professional should try. Here's why. Jott's concept is beautifully simple and extremely useful. After registering online for the service, you can easily create reminders or dictate memos for yourself--or others--using the cell phone that's attached to your hip. Let's say you've had a "Eureka!" moment while in the car. Dial Jott's toll-free number (866/568-8123) or, even better, push the speed-dial button you've assigned to it. Almost immediately, a female voice responds: "Who do you want to Jott?" If the message is for yourself, just say, "Myself." After the beep, start talking. Messages can be up to 30 seconds long. When you're finished, simply stop talking. A few seconds later, the voice will say, "Got it." Then hang up or continue with additional memos. Within a few minutes, the message you dictated is transcribed and delivered via e-mail, text message, or both. That's just one way to use Jott. Here are some others I've tried: You can tell Jott to create a reminder for a specific time. Jott will send you an e-mail and text message reminder 15 minutes before the event. After linking my Jott account to myTwitter microblogusingJott Links, I dictated a new Twitter post using Jott. Within 3 minutes, Jott had flawlessly transcribed my voice message and posted it to my Twitter page. The microblog post even had the commas I had dictated. Need to send an e-mail or text while you're driving? Not a problem, as long as you've previously imported your Outlook or other contact database entries into Jott. When you're ready, press your Jott speed-dial button on your phone and tell Jott to whom you want to send a message. The service will verify the name or ask for clarification. Dictate your message, hang up, and your contact will receive your message as a transcribed e-mail and/or SMS text message. You can send one message to multiple people, too, as long as you've set up a Jott Group. Jott had some difficulty identifying my requested contacts when I was in a moving vehicle. Most likely, the ambient noise interfered with its speech recognition system. When I was paused at stop lights or driving along quieter streets, Jott understood my contact names without a problem. After setting up a Jott Link to your Google Calendar, you can dictate new calendar entries using Jott. The entries will automatically appear on your Google Calendar within a few minutes. Google recently released a tool thatautomatically syncsGoogle Calendar with Microsoft Outlook at user-specified intervals. The combination of the Google sync tool, Outlook, Jott, and a smart phone creates an almost surreal circle of convenience. For instance, I recently dictated a new calendar entry to Jott. The entry was automatically added to the correct date and time on my Google Calendar, and then appeared in my Outlook calendar on my PC. Once I synced my Palm Treo 755p with Outlook, the calendar entry appeared on my Treo, too--the same device I had used to dictate the calendar item in the first place. Be careful to clearly enunciate "Sunday" and "Monday" when dictating calendar items. On one occasion, Jott added my Sunday calendar entry to Monday on my Google Calendar. I'd appreciate receiving my original Jott recordings as audio file attachments to e-mail, just in case I want to archive or share them via e-mail. But the audio recordings are accessible for playback from the Jott site, so this is a minor complaint.
At any rate, that's all the griping I can come up with. Jott's transcriptions of my voice messages have been nearly always 100 percent accurate. The service is especially useful for use with basic cell phones or smart phones with awkward keyboards. With either device, Jott eliminates the need to tiresomely tap out e-mail or text messages. Some might worry they'll get hooked on the free service, only to be charged for it down the road. When I asked about paid versions of Jott, the company's founder John Pollard responded: "Someday we will offer a premium version of Jott for a reasonable price in addition to a free version. The feature set of a fee-based service has not been set in stone, but I can tell you it will include the ability to record longer Jott messages, as well as some nice additions we're cooking up." So there you have it. Honestly, I can't think of a single reason why you shouldn't, pardon the expression, Jott yourself.
For more information go to http://www.jott.com/

3) GrandCentral by Google

GrandCentral gives you 'One Number...for Life' --
a phone number that instead of being tied to a device or a location, is tied to you. Use randCentral to centralize your communication, customize your callers' experience, and make sure you never miss a call you want to take (or take a call you want to miss).

GrandCentral isn't just another VoIP call service. We've tapped into VoIP technology to build our service, but GrandCentral works with cell phones, desk phones, VoIP lines, and everything in between. There's nothing to download, upload, or install, and you don't have to make or take calls using a computer.

GrandCentral will let you define which phones ring, based on who's calling, and even let you ListenInTM on voicemail before answering the call. We use smart technology to route your calls. So, if you're already on a GrandCentral call, we'll recognize it and use call waiting to reach you on the phone you're on.
Note: At this time GrandCentral is only available in the U.S.

Screen Callers Know who's calling and screen unknown callers
ListenInTM Hear why someone is calling before taking the call
Call Record Record calls on the fly and access recordings online
Block Callers Unwanted callers won't be able to reach you anymore
Notifications Receive voicemail notifications via email or SMS

Ring Different Phones One number that rings different phones based on who's calling
Greetings Personalize your voicemail greetings by caller or group
RingShareTM Go beyond the ring and choose ringback tones for your callers

WebCall Button Let people call you from a web page without showing your number
CallSwitch Switch phones in the middle of a call
Click2Call Call from your addressbook and save your typing
Mobile Access Visual voicemail for your mobile phone
Learn more about GrandCentral by visiting www.grandcentral.com

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Baggu - Environment

LET ME EXPLAIN WHY BAGGUS ARE SO GOOD. Society is working to replace our old friends, the paper & plastic bags, with something that does their job without creating needless waste or harming the environment. Using one Baggu for one year replaces 300 to 700 isposable bags. One Baggu holds the contents of 2 to 3 plastic grocery bags. Six bags can hold a whole cart full of groceries. Baggu Bag handles are the perfect length: you can hold them in your hand, on your forearm, or over your shoulder. They are made from super strong rip-stop nylon (holds 25 lbs) so they are light (2 oz) and compactible. They fold into a flat 5 by 5 inch pouch that easily slips in a purse or pocket. That way they are always handy when you need them. Baggu bags have a nice big gusset in the bottom so they will sit flat when they are filled (good for eggs & milk.)

BAGGU WAS DESIGNED IN CA BY JOAN & EMILY (Joan is Emily's mom) They both saw the need for a better reusable bag, so they decided to make one. After dozens of prototypes, they came up with a solution that makes using reusable bags stylish, practical and easy.

PLASTIC BAGS & THE PLANET

The average family brings home 1,000 bags every year. Most of those bags end up in land fills. That really adds up - 100 billion plastic bags are sent to landfill in the US each year.
In landfills, it can take up to 1000 years for a bag to decompose. Plastics don't biodegrade, they photo-degrade, breaking down into tiny toxic pieces that contaminate soil and water or harm wildlife. Every time you use your Baggu bag instead of plastic or paper you are doing something Good.

For More information or to buy a BAGGO please visit: http://baggubag.com/

Friday, May 2, 2008

Scottsdale Fashion Show - Old Town Scottsdale

Scottsdale, Ariz. (April 22, 2008) – Downtown Scottsdale is gearing up for the third annual Scottsdale Fashion Week, Thurs., Nov. 6 through Sun., Nov. 9, 2008.

The major event features a full schedule of high fashion runway shows, celebrating fashion, art and design, and serves as a showcase for downtown Scottsdale's burgeoning development as well. The Scottsdale Fashion Week district is anchored by Westcor's Scottsdale Fashion Square on the north and encompasses Scottsdale Waterfront, the Arizona Canal, SouthBridge, and the downtown arts district which will again host the opening night's SFW08 Wearable ArtWalk presented by the Scottsdale Gallery Association.

"Scottsdale Fashion Week has become another marquee event on our annual community calendar and we are delighted to see it grow and attract visitors and residents alike who now look forward each fall to fashion, design and wearable-art-as-entertainment to enjoy in our city," said Mayor Mary Manross under whose watch SFW was born.

Indeed, 13 percent of last year's attendees were visitors from out of state, a healthy statistic for an event in its second year, according to survey research conducted by Strategic Alliance Marketing. In addition, eight percent of visitors stayed multiple nights at local area resorts, music to the ears of tourism officials. Significantly, SFW appealed to a broad age demographic as well. Nearly 37 percent were 22 to 30 years old; 20 percent were 31 to 45 years of age; and 20 percent were between the ages of 46 and 64.

"Scottsdale Fashion Week is a showcase for our world-class design, art, nightlife and shopping scenes that are second to none," said Rachel Sacco, president & CEO, Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's the perfect complement to all the powerful reasons visitors are lured here each year: our beautiful weather, championship golf, luxury resorts and spas, and innovative restaurants. Now, our visitors have one more reason to choose Scottsdale in November."

For More Info visit http://www.scottsdalefashionweek.com/

A Preview of whats to Come for 2008



Life's Journey

To all the individuals out there that know what they want to do. I dispise you. You see the last couple of years are

Taliesin West - North Scottsdale



Frank Llyod Wright - Scottsdale, AZ


Experience Wright's Genius First HandTaliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin, are considered two of Wright's greatest architectural masterpieces. Both sites served as his personal homes, studios and campus for his architectural school.Both sites are considered central to understanding Wright's architectural genius. By visiting the sites visitors are able to broaden their appreciation of architecture and Wright's continuing contribution to it through his theories of organic design.Visiting these two sites is particularly meaningful since the buildings are used for the purposes for which they were designed; the sites still serve as living, working, educational facilities with an on-site architectural firm.Taliesin West is the international headquarters for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the site of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, and the winter campus for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. For more information on tours of Taliesin West, Taliesin, and other Frank Lloyd Wright sites, click on the links below;

Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona

Taliesin, Spring Green, Wisconsin


Dial's Head Quarters - North Scottsdale

Peter Corbett / The Arizona Republic

May. 1, 2008 06:20 AM

Tromping around the state trust land that Westcor acquired earlier this week for $99 million, it takes imagination to envision mid-rise hotels, condos and the Palisene shopping center on this site northwest of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. Roadrunners roam on this 112-acre tract of desert, marked by washes, creosote bushes and saguaros standing sentinel. But one look across the street reveals how quickly the desert can be transformed.

Sixteen months ago, Dial Corp. started construction of a 350,000-square-foot building that will serve as U.S. headquarters and research center for the soap-making and consumer products company. The Dial building, designed by Phoenix architect Will Bruder, is taking shape northeast of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road.