Small Business

Replace Jott with Free Dial2Do Message Service

By Rick Broida

Updated on: August 27, 2008 / 12:00 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

If, like me, you're in mourning because Jott is no longer free, take heart: Dial2Do lets you send e-mail and text messages using only your voice, just like Jott, and it doesn't cost a dime (for now, anyway).

As with Jott, you simply call the special Dial2Do number, say what you want to do ("text," "e-mail," "reminder," "Twitter," etc.), name the recipient ("me," "Bob," etc.), and then record your message. The service does employ both computer-driven transcription and human operators who check it for accuracy, but offers to turn off transcription "if you are working for the CIA or planning a major bank heist." Heh, heh.

You can import up to 100 contacts from the likes of Gmail and Outlook, and use Dial2Do with services like Jajah, Jaiku, and Twitter. I took Dial2Do for a quick test-drive, and it delivered an accurately transcribed reminder (and a link to the actual audio recording) to my inbox within about five minutes. Spoiled as I am by all things free, I've given the service my Jott speed-dial slot -- at least until it leaves beta and ceases to be free.

Want to learn more? The lovely Irish lass in the above video shows you the Dial2Do ropes. What do you think? Does this Jott-alike get the job done, or is it just a weak wannabe?