DigitalFanGirl

I hate checking voicemail. Maybe as much as I hate going to the ATM or stopping to get gas. One of the things I hate about checking voicemail is the whole surprise factor. I never know who the heck I’m going to have to listen ramble on. Call me crazy, but it’s just one of the simple tasks I just truly hate to do. In my mind I’ve been wanting visual voicemail since I acquired my very first cell phone. I also wish I had this feature at work. Checking my work voicemail is the WORST – it’s like daggers in the eyes… (hint hint to all capable developers – this would be AWESOME)..

In one of my many web surfing journeys I ran across a service called YouMail. YouMail is a FREE visual voicemail service and they say they intend on keeping this basic service free (you go YouMail creators). So I’ve been using it for one week now and I really like it. Here are some of the YouMail features.

1. You sign up for YouMail (very easy process) and the calls you don’t answer get forwarded to your YouMail account instead of your wireless carrier voicemail system. It’s honestly that simple.

2. You can retrieve your email via dialing the voicemail number, or by going online to youmail.com or via your smartphone. You can also have your voicemails sent to you via email and/or text message. I have my voicemails sent via email and I click on the play message button (certain numbers of my mom’s mobile number have been oranged out).

3. You can even share your voicemail, which I think is pretty cool.

4. They have a feature called “Ditchmail”, which ditches unwanted callers. Ditchmail hangs up on unwanted callers before they can even leave a voicemail (I LOVE IT!!!). I think we’ve all had the experience of giving our number to someone (an ex- boyfriend, old friend, sales rep, etc) we truly wish we hadn’t. I recently did. I made the stupid stupid stupid mistake of giving my mobile number to a car dealership, but thanks to Ditchmail; I no longer have to be bothered by their unwanted phone calls (in your face Infinity of Tysons).

5. You can also set up different greetings for different callers. So your friends can hear a different greeting than your family and your boss and/or clients can also have their own greeting.

For this to be a FREE service, I think you get a lot AND if you hate the checking voicemail task as much as I do; you’ll find YouMail to be a pleasant relief to that daunting task.

I’ve tried a many screenshot capture programs in the past. For the longest time I used Snap n’ drag, but they had a lot of limitations in the free version, so there was only so much I could do with it. When I ran across Skitch last year, I was thrilled. It’s really a great little program – very impressive.

Skitch has so much to offer. It really goes beyond just taking a screenshot of a webpage and YES it does that beautifully. Skitch pretty much allows you to take a a snapshot of anything on your computer and annotate it with the drawing tools inside the Skitch window. I also like how you can save the snapshot to your Skitch history, email the snapshot, paste it into a page and I really love how you can upload your Skitch snapshot directly to your .mac account, FTP, SFTP, photobucket, flickr or your facebook account.

You can even take a screenshot of your webcam photo.

Right now Skitch is free and I have no idea if they will charge in the future, but if they do I am totally paying for it. It’s worth it. I use Skitch on a regular basis and it has now become a consistent part of my workflow on a personal and professional level.

How does technology fit into your home?

We discussed this article from SheGeeks.net

Naomi uses tech to keep herself and her two busy teenage girls organized and in touch at all times. Naomi’s second brain of choice is a BlackBerry. Texting is their main form of communication when they’re apart. At the time of this recording, Naomi’s girls are in to JamGlue, Millsberry and Meez for their social networking.

Melissa says, [technology] “it wouldn’t be our home without it.” Melissa and her husband use Apple’s iCal and their iPods to keep their marriage healthy by syncing calendar entries so the bills get paid on time. iPods go beep in the night at their house.

Read the full show notes over at Moms Gone Geek

My geeky sisters over at Girls Gone Geek have been doing a what’s in your bag kind of thing, so I decided to join them and expose what’s in my bag (gasp).

Items inside to bag:
15inch MacBook Pro
Make-up Bag
BlackBerry 8800 w/case
Keyboard brush (gotta keep the dust off)
iPod w/charger
Eyeglass case
Smart Trip Card
4-Port USB Hub
ID/Badge Holder (facing down because it’s a Navy/DoD Badge)
Business Card Holder
Sanyo Xacti CG6
Office Keys
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S650 (which I used to take this photo) w/camera bag

Tags: my_stuff, inside_my_bag, girls-gone-geek,

I subscribe to a series of Mac fanboy fangirl podcasts and for the last month they have ALL been drowning me in iPhone information, news and updates. I gotta be honest; I am sick of hearing  about the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an amazing phone, but I don’t ever see myself abandoning my BlackBerry for the iPhone. I started off with the 8700 and last summer I got the 8800; love them both. NOW I am anxiously awaiting the BlackBerry BOLD.

There are so many things I LOVE about my BlackBerry; the super stable email, the ability to add 10 outside email accounts, BlackBerry maps with built-in GPS, the calendar and contacts, wireless syncing of my calendar and contacts from my BlackBerrry to my mac (using Pocketmac and Bluetooth) and the most important thing – the full size qwerty keyboard.

If I didn’t send massive amounts of text messages, emails and instant messages from my BlackBerry the keyboard thing wouldn’t even be an issue. Not to mention I tweet, update/check facebook and use BlackBerry Messenger from my BlackBerry as well. All in all – it’s just a good solid phone and it is truly my main communications tool.

A couple other things to note about the 3G BlackBerry BOLD and 3G Apple iPhone:

• The 3G iPhone’s internal processor is STILL the same as the original. So much for more speed. Whereas previous BlackBerrys had 312MHz and the new BOLD has a 624MHz processor. Who’s truly “twice as fast” as before?

• BlackBerry’s consumer PUSH email service is included with your BlackBerry internet Service (BIS) plan. In addition the iPhone internet you must pay for “MobileMe” subscription for PUSH email.

Listen and Respond to My Seesmic Question for this Blog Post
You don’t need a seesmic account to post your video response
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Tags: blackberry, blackberry_bold, 3G_blackberry, iphone, 3G_iphone