Google Calendar Entries by Voice

Adding events to your Google Calendar just got a little easier with a new application created by Jott Networks. Jott has made available the ability to create Google Calendar appointments while away from your PC. How are you going to do it? By using your own voice. Jott is offering a free voice-to-text service that will link users directly to their Google Calendars after a “simple set up.” If you want, you can also receive a SMS text message confirming your calendar entry. Not sure how useful that last part is, but the rest is awfully handy. And what is Jott? Jott.com is a free service for any cell phone which helps make individuals more productive and efficient by instantly capturing ideas, sending messages to others, and more without use of a keypad.

Jott Networks CEO, John Pollard, commented, “Having the freedom to make Google Calendar entries with any cell phone is what Jott’s all about-making it simple to get more done. Our customers told us they wanted this functionality, and we’re delivering. We believe anyone who uses Google Calendar should take advantage of being able to post appointments — completely hands-free — from anywhere.”

How does it work? You will be prompted with the question “Who do you want to Jott?” Your response will be “Google Calendar.” You will then speak your appointment 4-1-1, such as “Meeting with Holly at 9 a.m. November 16th.” The information will then automatically be transcribed and posted to Google Calendar with the correct date and time. Way cool, huh?

What is the business application?

First of all, Google Calendar has one advantage over Outlook Calendar in that it is available from anywhere. You can access, amend or print your information on the fly at any business center or hotel around the world. That’s particularly handy if your Outlook calendar is on your desktop at work and you’re forced to sync your information regularly. What can I say? I don’t like to sync.

The Jott application is great for those of you who don’t have PDA’s to whip out at every meeting or business lunch you attend. As soon as you leave your appointment, you can call in and notate your next meeting right away. You won’t have to worry about adding that information once you reach your hotel room that evening, which means you decrease the odds of forgetting or adding the wrong date or time. Fantastic. I love anything that shrinks my online time once I finish up for the day.