Over on our Posterous site, we recently addressed one use case for reQall, a personal reminder service that allows you to capture information using voice or text. In that post, we explained how to get information into Evernote using reQall’s voice capturing and transcription features. There are other ways, though, to use reQall to stay organized. Here are a few ways that I use reQall in my life.
1. Capture all those stray thoughts and reminders while on the go
If you’re like me, you have all sorts of stray thoughts that bounce around in your head. And if you’re like me, you need to capture those ideas, fast, before they evaporate into nothingness. But sometimes, they bounce around at inopportune times, such as while driving. How to capture them? I use reQall for this. With reQall, you can dial a special telephone number, speak, and have your message captured, transcribed, and emailed to you. I have a hands-free Bluetooth phone system in my car, and keep reQall in one of the quick dial spots. I simply tap a button, and when reQall answers, I empty my mind (no wisecracks about how little time that takes, please). A short while later, a transcript of my message shows up in my inbox (or in Evernote, depending on how I configure reQall). reQall’s transcription accuracy is downright amazing.
2. Memorialize conversations
I recently had the enjoyable task of applying for life insurance, which was long overdue. In my "real life" job, I deal with insurance companies every day, and I see how often they try to stick it to people. A representative from the life insurance company interviewed me over the telephone, asking me questions about my health history. I have no faith that she actually took that information down correctly. If I pass from this earth, I don’t want the company telling my wife that I gave them false information during the interview. When the interview was over, I immediately recorded a brief memo with reQall, summarizing some of the points from the interview, and then sent that transcript to my wife. It might not hold up in a court of law, but it at least would give my wife a leg to stand on.
3. Keep an updated shopping list
As with my first point, above, I often remember what I need from the grocery store at the oddest times. I always have my iPhone with me, and it is a simple matter of firing up the app, and leaving myself a short message. If you start your message with the word "buy," reQall recognizes that what follows should go into your shopping list, and puts it there. If I’m driving, I do the same thing, but instead call the reQall number.
All of the above use cases can be completed using the free version of reQall. There is also a premium version, costing $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year, which adds several features.
Are you using reQall, or do you plan to use it? If so, how are you using it? I’m particularly interested in hearing any GTD suggestions, but really would love to hear all of your ideas.
Bobby says:
I have a reQall account and I connected it to my Evernote account via email, so that my transcripted conversations with their service will be auto-updated in Evernote. This helps me mostly with getting an idea down when I don’t feel like using Evernote mobile — usually longer notes or half-formed, rambling ideas that will be too much of a pain to type with the edges of my thumbs. I also attempted to use it as a reminder system with Evernote, but that fell off for me.
I’m not done with it, by any means, I just haven’t made the time to get back to playing with it yet. :)
October 23, 2009 — 5:23 pm
Evan Kline says:
I did have my reQall account hooked into Evernote, but found that I wanted to use it for other purposes, too. Now it goes into my email, and if it is something that I want in Evernote, I just forward it there. (Of course, this could all change as I play a bit more with Dial2Do).
October 25, 2009 — 7:19 pm