Kennedy-Spaien, Dot Com

I lost my cellphone at the hospital the last time I went in for a procedure. I hadn’t had it that long, so I was really reluctant to spend the bucks to replace it. Man, am I a tightwad!

After a very short while, I realized that it was ridiculous to risk missing client calls (though I could still check voicemail over the web) AND continue paying for a service I was not really able to use in any worthwhile way.

When I walked into T-Mobile to replace my phone, I had made some resolutions and decisions about how I would maximize the value my new phone would give me.

Resolutions:
1. Don’t spend extra for a phone that does what I don’t need.
2. Get Google Grand Central service
3. Use Jott and/or Utterz to increase productivity while away from my desk.

So, Kevin… How’s that working out for you?

The phone:
I had only one requirement in a phone – a clamshell design. I hate trying to unlock a locked phone when a call comes in, and since I usually keep my phone in my pocket I need some way to avoid accidentally calling my clients at 5:00 AM on a Sunday.

I’m not a big user of texting, and while I used to have an expensive cameraphone, I would always leave my pics on the phone because I wouldn’t otherwise pay for internet on my phone plan. For me, mobile internet connectivity is a distraction and an expense I can easily do without. Now I have an economical “good enough, last-year’s-model” digital camera with a lovely USB cable.

I ended up getting a “free” Samsung clamshell phone by extending my contract one additional year. It’s ugly and has zero bells and whistles, but certainly gets the job done.

Grand Central:
I first heard about Grand Central’s unified phone numbers about a year ago at either Mashable or Lifehacker (or maybe both!). I promptly signed up for a spot on their waiting list and got accepted more or less immediately. I then proceeded to forget all about it before I even claimed the invitation!

Fast forward to now. I knew I wanted in, but read that since Google bought Grand Central the invitations had become much harder to secure. I assumed that a year-old invitation would have expired, but much to my delight, I clicked the “Activate” link in the old email (thanks to Gmail, I can keep everything forever!) and voila! I was in!

After spamming all my friends and associates with a “Here’s my new number” email, I no longer worry about missed calls.

For additional savings, I understand T-Mobile users can pair their My Fave Fives with Grand Central by making your Grand Central one of your faves. This makes all calls coming in via that number unlimited and free! I am not paying for the My Fave Five plan as I have never exceeded my alloted minutes, so I don’t get to enjoy the benefits of this.

I also understand that T-Mobile has a plan that will automatically switch your calls over to Wi-Fi VOIP, but that calls for a high end phone and an internet plan. Again, no love for me.

A note on how I chose T-Mobile: Previously my wife and I were on Cingular, until AT&T bought them. AT&T kept screwing up our account every month – we’d call and get it fixed, then next month… rinse and repeat.

We knew we needed a new provider. I did a little research and found an interview with Consumerist editor Ben Popkin where he was asked “Who is the best cell phone service provider?” Ben said that he didn’t have a firm opinion, but that he saw the least complaints coming from T-Mobile users. Well, that was as good as a recommendation for me! Billing and service have been fine since we signed up over a year ago.

Jott and Utterz:

I have just this week started using Jott in earnest, although I’ve had an account with them and Utterz for a while. I have Jott set up for exactly two uses, emailing myself memos and reminders, and sending Tweets on Twitter.

I love sending myself messages while driving or shopping, but ultimately I don’t enjoy Tweeting this way because I don’t check Twitter via SMS or TXT or IM or whatever protocol people use for that (gosh, I’m such a Luddite!) and Tweeting in a vacuum is useless unless you enjoy being essentially a bot.

I have one issue that mostly kills the potential usefulness of Utterz for mobile micro-podcasting (its intended purpose). Namely, I stink at extemporizing. I’m working on that.

I am enjoying much improved productivity from these adjustments to my phone use, but I bet you have some great ideas that never occurred to me. How do you maximize your phone productivity? Share your thoughts with the world in the comments section below!