Lose The Laptop Challenge

Today I had several appointments - one right after another.  I left my house this morning on my way to the first appointment--I was halfway there when I realized I had forgotten my phone at home.  Drat!  I have two cellphones - my Tilt2 and the older phone I was using before the LosetheLaptop.com contest.  Luckily, I had my Tilt2 with me but I left my other phone at home which had the details and the phone number of the person I was going to meet with.

Hmmmm, I wondered, how am I going to manage this one.  If neither one of us were late to the meeting or got lost on the way there, forgetting my phone wouldn't be a problem.  But reality ranch is, the day I forget my phone would be the day I needed it the most.

Fortunately, two weeks ago I received an invitation (after signing up for it 3 months before) from Google Voice to activate an account.  I remember how excited I was to finally be able to check it out.  Google Voice is a great free service that acts as your voice-mail system and transcribes every message you receive into text and sends the message to you via e-mail and/or text.  It's like having your own personal transcription service!  The transcription is not perfect - but you get the gist of what the caller was saying.  You can also record personalized messages for specific callers who call you.  Pretty slick!  Google Voice can be attached to any phone number.

However, to take full advantage of the  Google Voice features, I recommend you sign up for Google Voice with a Google number.  I chose this option.  You can create a new phone number within your area code or any other area code across America.  What I liked about this process is that you can choose a customized vanity number.  For example, I chose a phone number that ends in CNCT which works well with WellConnectedMom.com and theWellConnectedHome.com. 

Even better, if you choose the Google number option, you can hook up all of your phones to Google Voice so that no matter which phone number a caller uses, all of your phones will ring.  I have my home phone and my two cellphones hooked up to Google voice.  So, any voicemail I receive  is transcribed and texted to my both my cellphones and my e-mail account.  To learn more about the two versions of Google Voice and many other great features, watch these Google Voice features videos.

So, getting back to my day.  Guess what happened?  The person I was meeting with was running late and he tried to call me using the Google Voice number I had given him.  I, unfortunately, was in a relatively new area of town with limited cellphone coverage, so I did not receive his call.  But thanks to my Tilt2 with data coverage and Google Voice, I received a text message with his message and phone number transcribed.  I walked out of the building I was in and gave him a call to let him know I would wait for him.  Phew!  My reputation was saved - I could still live up to my name as The Well Connected Mom, despite leaving my cellphone at home!

I have great news for you!  Google Voice just opened to the public - so you no longer need to receive an invitation to join!  Visit Google Voice  soon to snatch up your vanity Google phone number and become "well connected" today!

Lori writes about making technology simple for busy moms and can be found at WellConnectedMom.com.  She also writes about technology for the home at theWellConnectedHome.com.  Follow Lori on Twitter @wellconnectdmom and @wellconnctdhome.  Please vote for Lori for your own chance for $5,000!  The more votes you give this month, the better your chances of winning!  Good luck!

July 12, 2:41 pm

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My husband watches 'special' videos.
Please, not THAT.
This is a family show people, I know that.
But the videos he needs to be able to watch are special in that they are hosted on a very private site.

Again, NOT that.
He's involved in the thoroughbred racing industry and he has to go to special member-only sites to be able to watch race results.

He can't do this from the Tilt2, we've tried.
And he has to have special software on his laptop to do it.

But...when we can't get to a Wi-Fi signal, he CAN use the HTC Tilt2 to access the web from his laptop!

Genius.
This means he has no work excuse when it comes to road trips to my mother's house.
You're with me on this one, right?

 

July 6, 1:37 pm

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I work at a rather well known retailer.  For a little over 10 hours a day, I spend walking around where you shop.  I mean I do more than just walk around but that is besides the point.  While I am there making sure items are in stock for guests to buy, I sometimes spot items I want to buy.  I tend to whip out my phone and snap a photo of the label

Why the label? The label holds a lot of information for people who work there.  On the little 3x2 piece of paper.  The item number, the location, and bar code that I can scan.  I can find a lot about the item.  I can find out if we have it in stock still, if it's not on floor is iin the backroom or is it available at another store.  If all else fails I can enter the item number online on the company site and order it from there.

The only downside is I sometimes end up with 20 photos of labels and no idea why I took them.

As part of the AT&T Lose the Laptop challenge for June, we were tasked with the theme shopping. So as part of the June challenge, people who vote are eligible for the prize of a $500 Amazon gift certificate and an HTC Tilt 2. Just register and vote every day and it wouldn’t hurt if you voted for me. Every day you vote, you are entered to win.
 

June 29, 10:46 am

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Email is a type of communication that you can reply to in a few hours, or even the next day or two depending on what the email is about. If it's a customer inquiry, responding in a few hours is probably a MUST.

However, with social media communication, namely Facebook and Twitter, you must often respond to your community within minutes. For example, if you are claiming to respond to customer support inquiries through Twitter, then you must be able to manage your Twitter account (or multiple accounts) and ensure customers are responded to in a timely fashion.

Ensure you (and your staff) have the applications installed on your mobile phone to enable you to quickly communicate through social media is very important. For example, are you able to manage multiple accounts? Are you able to manage several social media networks? Are you able to collaboratively manage social media outlets with your team? Do you know the nuances of responding to social media on your mobile device, as opposed to a laptop (or desktop).

Social media is great. However, keep mind that as you build up your social media network, remember to bring it to your smartphone, as you lose the laptop.

Online Retailers will tel you that "online your customers is only a click away", often referring to traditional web sites. Using social media, this is even more true. Your competition can also listen to your social media conversations and they are only an "@" symbol away. 

May 10, 8:38 am

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Almost every week I find myself in another city.  Setting up an office in a hotel room is something I'm use to by now, but one think I hate is paying for an Internet connection.  With the Tilt 2, I don't have to. 

December 4, 7:20 pm

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