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Pimp my Phone
By Richard Zielinski
Once I got into a fight with a Japanese businessman because he wouldn�t let me see his Sony-Ericsson (News - Alert) Z750 cellular phone. Another time I stopped a Korean tourist in the street and asked for a closer look at his Samsung's SPH-M8100 before offering him cash on the spot if I could have it (he said �no�). In short, I am obsessed with cellular telephones. I don�t know when or even how this obsession took over, but it has set in pretty deep. More importantly for you, the reader, I have found some very interesting ways to enhance the mobile experience using new free services that creative people are developing for everyday users like you and me. I call this past time �Pimp my Phone,� and I think you will agree, these services are pretty handy. So take out your phone right now and get ready to pimp it out!
The first free service that I want to highlight actually turns your phone into an on-demand internet radio. Podlines.net has created a service that links podcasts to specific phone numbers. My favorite podcast is �This American Life� and the number to call to hear the show is 408-538-2147. Every week the podcast is updated with a new episode, so once a week I dial in and listen. Some podcasts are updated daily. The trick to using this service is to listen to the shows when you have free minutes (nights and weekends). The list of available podcasts is quite long and varies from corporate news programs (ABC, 60 Minutes, NPR, etc.) to religious programming (Daily Torah Study, Christian Comedy Podcast), to the random (Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk). Basically there is something for everyone on this site so browse through, find your favorite show, save the number in you address book, and fall asleep listening to it on speakerphone like I do (don�t worry it hangs up at the end of the show).
The second free mobile phone service that any good mobiphile has is 877-520-3463. This acts as a free information or 411 service for business listings. 520find.com uses voice recognition software to connect you to the business of your choice. I have used it in some pretty harrowing situations and it has performed well. There are no ads, you can have them text you the information you need, and its database includes the entire U.S. Additionally, 520find will text you the information so you don�t have to write it down. Mobile providers charge up to $1.50 for their 411 services but 520find.com is completely free to use.
Another competing free information number is 800-555-8355. Tellme (News - Alert).com is voice activated and it offers users on-demand information for Sports, News, Weather, Stocks, and business search. I have found it a little more cumbersome to use than 520find but it has some excellent features and they are now testing a free download that will give users with data plans access to free digital maps (currently under development). Tellme.com also has a number (83556) that you can send text messages to and it will reply with relevant business contact information. For example, if you text �pizza 20009�, it will respond with a list of pizza dealers in that zip code area with web links to a corresponding map.
Google (News - Alert) has also developed a text message based search tool called Google SMS (466453). However, the Google version is not limited to just business searches. Text Google the words �angelina jolie birthday� and it will shoot you a text back which reads �Q&A: Angelina Jolie Date of Birth: 4 June 1975 Source: groups.msn.com/moviesnmore/angelinajolie.msnw.� Do you see the possibilities here? Type in �taxi salem Oregon� and it gives you a list of local companies with phone numbers in case you are ever stranded in my hometown. Type in �driving directions washington dc to philadelphia� and it gives step by step directions to follow to get you there. You can practice on the Google SMS website; be creative here because they really have developed a fantastic tool for mobile devises. Just make sure you have a bundled text message plan ;). Also, if you have Google Mail, check out their download for mobile phones. It is incredibly fast and easy to use but remember, you must have a data plan to connect to your email.
Craigsnumber.com launched in December and it is so simple, it�s brilliant. You call this number 415-234-5678, and it will give you an alternative number (a normal ten digit number with an extension) that people can call you on. You can set the number to expire in one hour, one day, or one week. The service is useful to anyone who sells things online but does not want to give out their phone number. I could also see this being useful in other situations (bars, vacations, Las Vegas) but I will leave it up to you if you want this one on your phone.
Finally, I have to mention Frucall.com. This free number, 888-363-7822, has come in saved me some money a few times. If you are in a store shopping, you can pick up any item that is likely to be sold by a major Internet retailer (Amazon.com (News - Alert), Buy.com, etc.), enter in the 12 or 10 digit barcode number and Frucall will tell you how much that very same item costs online. Very handy for comparative shopping.
So now you have begun to �Pimp your Phone�! I hope you find some of these services useful and that you impress your friends with your savvy mobile phone techniques.
Richard Zielinski is the founder and president of mobiletours.org, an Internet startup company that offers free tours of Washington, DC from a mobile phone. He can be reached at rhz678@gmail.com.
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