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Tech View
Cliff Miyake
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GotVoice puts all your phone messages in 1 place
It's amazing what cool programs are available for free online. For example, if you find it challenging to keep track of voicemail on your home phone, cell phone, Skype account or business line, there's an application that aggregates all those services into one and informs you via e-mail of new messages.
Called "GotVoice," it works with all the local telephone providers (including cellular providers and even Oceanic Time Warner) and is free. The product has been rolled out nationally, but the founder of the company, Martin Dunsmuir, lives in Makaha used Hawaii as a test bed before marketing it to the mainland.
Why does getting your voicemail via e-mail make sense? Back in the days when folks only had one phone it was easy to keep track of your messages just by accessing an answering machine. Nowadays, with so many of us having multiple phones, it's useful to consolidate your calls under one roof.
That's where a product like GotVoice comes in handy. It automatically retrieves messages (both landline and wireless) and shoots them to your e-mail box as an MP3 attachment. The service archives your messages while you're on the road so you can listen to them at your laptop. You can then save them, trash them, or share them.
Why would anybody in Hawaii need this?
Let's say you're the first on the scene at a soccer game in Manoa and you discover the field is soaking wet. With GotVoice you could quickly record a "cancelled game" voicemail and send it to all the participating parents in one fell swoop.
To get going all you do is set up an account on GotVoice.com. You'll need to enter the phone numbers and PINs for your voice mail services. The service comes in five flavors, with options for personal and business use. The "Lite version" is free for up to three voice mail retrievals a day; the GetVoice "Premium" package costs $9.95 a month and gets you up to 24 voice mail retrievals a day.
Another very useful application for home use is ZoneAlarm, which offers a free version its well-regarded firewall. The software identifies hackers and blocks their access. It also makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.
For free it's a great deal, but you might also consider purchasing their $39.35 version, which has a host of great features and has received excellent reviews from trade publications. The pay-for version is a suite of security programs ranging from the firewall to a comprehensive set of tools to keep viruses, spyware and spam out of your box. There's even an identity-theft utility and wireless PC protection.
You're going to need security whatever you do and you won't go wrong with ZoneAlarm. Just make sure you have some good anti-virus software if you get the free version.