Pocket Sized: Take Your Office on Your Phone

Ever been out and realize you forgot to email an important client? Ever had a great idea for an instructable while you were walking down the street, but you didn't have any paper? Ever wish you could receive your email on you phone? You can do all that and more, with FREE services, and you don't even need a fancy phone. These all work on any phone that can text message and place calls. These were all done on my Nokia 1600, which is only a $15 phone! These are by no means fancy phones, but they are enough for us.

Step 1: Send Email

Using a free service called Teleflip we can send emails from text messages for free!

All you need to do is
1-Compose a new text message
2-put the email address, the a space, then your message
3-send to 33715

An example would look like...

[e-mail] Hi, linux, have you heard of teleflip? Its a free service that lets you send emails from your phone!

It should look something like that.
You may be charged by your phone company for text messages.

For more details look here

Step 2: Recieve Email

You can also receive email on your phone via SMS (text message).

Look at this instructable for further details

1-Go into your email and under your settings there should be a spot for forwarding all mail to a different address
2-Use one of the addresses listed below, except with your phone number

all: [e-mail]
T-Mobile: [e-mail]
Virgin Mobile: [e-mail]
Cingular: [e-mail]
Sprint: [e-mail]
Verizon: [e-mail]
Nextel: [e-mail]
Net 10: [e-mail]

3-send yourself an email to confirm it is right
4-When you do get an email go to your phone's inbox, but don't open the message if you are near a computer. If you aren't you can open it and read it

Step 3: Take Notes

Using a service called Jott, you can take voice notes, and receive them as text. This is a great way to compose emails or to write instructables.
You can find out more about it here

1-Go to jott.com and sign up for a free account.
2-Call 1-866-568-8123 (1-866-JOTT-123)
3-when asked "who to Jott" "me" or "myself"
4-After the tone start talking
5-Go to jott.com and login
6-Click on the message
7-Now you can copy it into your email or into an instructable

Step 4: Grand Central

Grand central is a service that lets you use one phone number to ring all of your phones.
It is free, but you need to be invited.
You can also use it at home to make free long distance calls

Step 5: Google SMS

Google SMS is a free service that lets you get directions, weather, flight info and much more using SMS (text messaging)

1-Compose a new text message
2- Using one of the prefixes below to search ("w 87507" for weather in Santa Fe, NM)

"w" and then zip code or city for weather
"define" and then a word for a glossary
"Score" and then a team for sports
"movies" and then zip code for new movies
"stock" and then a stock code (tgt for target, etc)
zip code for the corresponding city name
"directions" (directions 87507 to 2175 Monarch St., Alameda, California)
"flight" then flight number
"area code" then number (area code 651)
"price" then product for froogle results
"translate" word in language
"web" for google results

3-Send it to "GOOGLE" (466453)
4-Wait for them to reply back (usually within 30 seconds)

These are just a few examples
To make it easier I keep a full list of these in my wallet
Your phone carrier may charge for text messages

Step 6: Goog411

Goog411 is a free service from google that lets you look up businesses. You can also use it to call you friends at work, no matter where they are.

1-Call 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411)
2-Say where you are
3-Say a business name or categorie
4-It will connect you to them, or say "Details" for more info

Step 7: Thats All Folks!

Well, thats it.
If you use these, please leave some feedback about them. I have tried all of these, but you may have come across glitches that I have not.

If you like this please rate, comment, and vote

Comments

[Pukeysmom]

Very good stuff here, especially when my work phone doesn't allow "regular" web access! Thanks much!

[lucianoabcd]

Do you think this will work everywhere? It seems to me like it's country-specific... I'll try anyway.

[LinuxH4x0r]

This works in the US, but most countries have similar services. Where are you from?

[lucianoabcd]

I tried... they didn't work... The numbers and service availability are for sure country-specific. I'll take into account when I travel to the USA anyway :)

[LinuxH4x0r]

No, I meant they have the same thing with different numbers. Oh well, too bad

[Lance Mt.]

Anyone know optus's AUS account? i think its   [e-mail] but no go.

[lucianoabcd]

Argentina... I don't think they are already here, but will try.

[mazeka.14]

Virgin Mobile sucks

[LinuxH4x0r]

so do you. Why is that relevant here?

[mazeka.14]

thanks for the compliment but virgin mobile has a sin to win contest and a web site that they say "strip, post the movie here every 5 vids we will donate 1 piece of clothing to Africa PS I Like your Instructables. and who cares if its relevant

[Lance Mt.]

 We care, and its highly irrelevant.

[mazeka.14]

Virgin Mobile sucks because it has a sin to win contest with prize money of $666 and a site for strip movies for every five strips they donate one piece of clothing to third world countries P.S I consider "you suck" a compliment. P.P.S I like your instructables.

[taylor100593]

Very Nice Instructables keep it up sireousky

[LinuxH4x0r]

Thanks!

[The Insomniac]

Wait. So its basically a proxy that converts a text message into an email? Couldnt it be intercepted? You could add on to this by telling about gmail mobile, though it doesnt work on certain phones. Cool instructable though, will definetely use it when i get my phone in about a month.

[LinuxH4x0r]

This works on all phones. Thanks!

[wokwithme]

Please invite me. Pretty Pleez!!

[LinuxH4x0r]

to grand central? pm me with your email address

[GorillazMiko]

Haha, the blurred out Hello. I saw that in that one Instructable... Nice job. +1 rating and vote. ;-)

[CameronSS]

Why did you blur out the message on Step 2? I don't think anyone's going to steal your identity from the message Hello... ;-)