GeekSugar

Just One Number: Did You Sign Up For Google Voice?

GeekSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:33:10 -0700

Woohoo! I was just notified that I was approved for a hot "invite only" Google Voice phone number! If you haven't checked out Google Voice yet, you should. It's literally the only phone number you'll ever need for the rest of your life. Not only will it ring from any number you assign to it, but it's got some pretty amazing features like Internet-based voicemail, caller ID, and the best part: custom phone numbers! Is 555-GEEK already taken? Check out an overview of Google Voice below and tell me: did you sign up for Google Voice?

Verizon Gets a Visual Voice Mail Application

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:15:53 -0700

Alright, I'll admit it, my BlackBerry is cool, but its voicemail isn't nearly as cool as the iPhone's. Well Verizon has just launched a Visual Voice Mail application that offers similar features to what the iPhone has. Currently available for the LG Voyager Refresh, it will soon be supported on the BlackBerry. The application will allow users to view caller- and voicemail info. With Visual Voice Mail, you'll also be able to listen to voicemail messages in any order and easily erase or archive directly from your screen!

Geek Tip: Use PhoneVite to Send Invites and Updates

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:02:54 -0700

I'm sure you all know and love eVite for sending quick and easy invitations. But I've come across an interesting situation with some of my non-tech-savvy pals: they can go days (even weeks) without checking their email, causing them to miss out on fun evenings cause they didn't get the notice! Can you imagine?! But I still love 'em, so I try to figure out ways to work with them, and not against them. Which brings me to my new fave invite service that's friendly to techies and nontechies alike: PhoneVite.

PhoneVite allows you to batch-send invites, updates, messages, and reminders by voice message to your recipients' phones, and even lets them send an RSVP or message back. To learn how to get started with PhoneVite just read more.

All you have to do is log in to PhoneVite's website, record your message on either your computer microphone or cell phone, enter the phone numbers you want the message sent to, and select either "send now," or schedule a call to go out later. Presto! Your non-email-checking, landline-loving, dial-up Internet pals will still get your invite, and everyone is happy. Oh, and did I mention it was free?

Source

Widower Calls Deceased Wife's Voice Mail Just to Hear Her Voice

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:43 -0700

File this under Sigh: An 80-year-old man whose wife died in 2005 has been calling her number every day since, just to hear her say her name on his voice mail recording. I'm in a virtual puddle over here.

Anyway, after a while, the carrier, Verizon, upgraded the service and it was lost - but don't worry, they got wind of it and restored the message for the man. He says, very simply, “I’m glad they rescued it. . . I’m very happy.”

So if you're feeling a little worn-out and overwhelmed by all our wedding coverage on IDoSugar and details, details, details - take a break and read this story and remember what it's supposed to be all about.

Source

Have You Ever Recorded a Goofy Voicemail Message?

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:05:12 -0700

Ah, George Costanza. He was a different breed. Behold, the video below: George screens his messages while watching TV, and grooves to a sweet little ditty he recorded himself for when he was out - listen to it and try not to get his "Believe It or Not" stuck in your head. Meanwhile, I have to claim guilt for recording some silly voicemail message, but uh, back in the day, of course! My messages are so boring now. But have you ever recorded a funny voicemail message? Are you rocking one right now?

Daily Tech: Google Voice Permits Voicemail With Any Number

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:05:35 -0700

You can now keep your phone number while using Google Voice's fantastic features - Lifehacker
Here's how you can recycle your own gadgets - Engadget
It's rumored that a new, bigger, Nintendo DSi with a 4-inch screen will be coming out in Japan this year - Kotaku
Facebook now has a way to memorialize friends who have passed away - Boing Boing
10 ways to spot an email scam - Switched
It's giveaway time on GeekSugar! Log in for your chances to win one of these AT&T Smartphones - GeekSugar

Tech Dating 101: Do You Save Messages From Your Date?

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0800

One of the benefits of of digital technology is that every email, text, and voicemail is easily saved, stored, and relived. It's helpful when you're dating someone - I think it's both fun and cute to reread old messages. (Though I suppose this can get dicey when trying to cut your ex out of your digital life, but that's a topic for another day). When it's good - it's great!

I hadn't thought too much about it until a recently engaged friend unearthed a years-long log of emails and text messages, starting with the first email her now-fiance sent the morning after they met. My other friends and I teased her at first, but then realized that reading through her saved emails was almost like reading a book of the history of their relationship. Plus, it's fun to look back one month, six months, or even a year into the past to see what was going on, even if they're mundane messages about what movie to catch or what to make for dinner that night.

To find out why I think it's helpful to save old messages, just read more.

Besides its historical significance, saving messages from someone you're dating is also helpful when you're starting a new relationship. Who hasn't sat with their girlfriends and gadgets and analyzed a string of text messages from a new guy or potential date? (See also my advice on decoding postdate texts and instant messages).

Do you save these bits of communication when you're starting a new relationship? What about when you're in an established one? And do you ever go back to reread them? I've started doing it, and I must admit, looking back on emails or text messages from a few months before is both nostalgic and sweet.

Do you have a Love 2.0 questioned you want answered? Join the Tech Dating 101 because we understand that love and dating are stressful and the Internet and social networking sites can just make things worse. You never know, your question could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Daily Tech: Apple Releases Some Redesigned Goodies

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:15:21 -0700

Apple has redesigned the iMac and 13-inch MacBook and spiced up the Mac Mini - Apple
The Beatles have helped boost the music video-game industry - Reuters
Barnes & Noble expected to unveil reader - AP
Droid lacks Apple's secret weapon . . . iTunes - CNET
Google tweaks Voice to keep voicemail out of search results - PC World
Can you read your robot's emotional state? - Crave
Why not carve a geeked-out pumpkin? - Unplggd

Why a Texting While Driving Ban Is Good For Tech Progress

GeekSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:32:23 -0700

In California, if you're caught chatting on the phone while driving, you're slapped with a $25 fine. Personally, I think that texting while driving is a much more dangerous offense - you may need to use both hands and are forced to take your eyes off the road.

Although the idea of a texting while driving ban has been discussed, there's no official law just yet. As big a fan as I am of texting in general, I think that this type of law is not only good for saving lives, but it's great for progress.

Take for example the image that you see here - it's from a 2008 patent submission from Apple for a speech-to-text feature on the iPhone that I came across yesterday. We already enjoy voice dialing features on the iPhone, and Google Voice uses a similar feature where it dictates your voicemails then emails them to you. So we can't be far from the speech-to-text technology. I'm super excited to see when Apple (or any other cell company that may beat it to the punch) finally releases this program into the wild. Would speech-to-text features come in handy for you?

Tyrant Clock: Your Friends Will Hate You If You Hit Snooze

GeekSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:30:00 -0700

Although it would be totally satisfying to shoot your alarm clock with a laser gun to get it to turn off (like the one I featured a while back), I don't think it will actually get me out of bed. What will? Angry, angry friends, relatives and co-workers.

This Tyrant Clock from Alice Wang (still in a concept stage from the looks of it) isn't just an alarm clock that threatens you with another beep in nine minutes. No, this clock is smart - it will sync up with your phone and call a random person from your contact list every three minutes after your scheduled wake-up time has passed, ensuring a large number of angry emails and nasty voicemails if you don't get the heck outta bed. What's worse - getting up at the first sound of an alarm, or having your boss call you into his office and asking about why you prank called his house this morning? You be the judge.