10 cool cell phone tricks

By Rick Broida

What has your cell phone done for you lately? Mine just updated my blog. Then it told me my friend Craig was just a few blocks up the street. Then it showed me my Google Reader feeds. Then it told me what song was playing on the radio. Then it got me out of a really boring meeting.

No, no, I didn't just get back from the future with an iPhone 2; this is all stuff accomplished with an average, ordinary handset. It's just a matter of knowing which buttons to push, so to speak. With the right software and services, your phone can perform a startling array of fun and practical functions.

Build a blog

In Blog From Your Cell Phone, MacLife's Susie Ochs describes how to, well, blog from your cell phone. What's interesting about it is that you can actually create a new blog from your phone, just by sending a text or photo SMS to go@blogger.com.

In short order, you'll receive a reply listing your new blog's URL and a "claim code" to enter at go.blogger.com. From there you have the option of routing mobile posts to the new blog or an existing one. Choose a template (if necessary) and you're done. You'll see your initial SMS; any additional posts sent to that same e-mail address will instantly appear on your blog. Pretty nifty way to insta-blog your vacation, night on the town or random thoughts.

Share photos and videos

Blogger is all well and good for posting text and the occasional snapshot, but it's not exactly a multimedia powerhouse. If you want to insta-share photos or even videos of, say, Britney Spears' latest wardrobe malfunction or your boss dancing on a table, look to services like JuiceCaster and Pickle. After setting up an account (both sites are free), you simply shoot your snaps and clips to a special e-mail address. This creates personalized content channels you can view/share/edit online or add to other sites (like Blogger, eBay and MySpace). I have to give Pickle the nod in the ease-of-use department, but I like JuiceCaster's embeddable MediaBox. Guess you'll have to try them both.

Find nearby friends

Want to hook up with a bunch of friends? Instead of calling them all individually, try Dodgeball. This recently acquired Google service lets you broadcast your whereabouts to your circle, send messages to multiple friends, find the address/cross streets of a venue and even stalk "crush on" someone you've checked out online. (The Dodgeball site includes a social-networking component, with profiles, photos, and all that.) It's an interesting service, especially if you live in a big city and enjoy the nightlife. Just make sure your phone's service plan includes unlimited texting, otherwise you could rack up some substantial SMS charges in a hurry.

Leave yourself a message

The age-old trick of leaving yourself a voice-mail reminder gets a Web 2.0 twist with services like BrainCast and Jott, which work like this: Dial a special number, then leave yourself a message. The service then forwards the recording to you via e-mail, which not only makes for faster, easier retrieval of your messages, but also keeps your regular voice-mail box from getting overly cluttered.

Better still, BrainCast and Jott let you store, manage and even share these messages. Jott, however, has the edge with its glitzier web interface and message-transcription feature: Your recordings are automatically turned into text. (Humans perform this function, but Jott promises strict security and confidentiality.) Whichever service you go with, you'll quickly come to find it indispensable.

Schedule an interruption

Excise yourself from a bad date or boring meeting with Popularity Dialer, which calls you at a scheduled time and plays one of several prerecorded messages. These "half conversations" (which include calls from "the boss" and a "cousin in need") save you from having to fake your end of the conversation, which always looks, well, fake. You can preview the recordings on the Popularity Dialer so you know what to expect.

Name that tune

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for my next magical illusion, I will use this ordinary cell phone to identify the song now playing on this ordinary radio. Watch closely as I dial these 10 magic numbers—866-411-SONG—and hold the phone near the speaker for the next 15 seconds.

Nothing up my sleeve, mind you.

Abracadabra! My phone has revealed the mystery song. Thank you, you're marvelous.

411-SONG requires no special equipment, just a phone capable of receiving SMS messages. All you do is dial the number and follow the instructions. After the service identifies the tune, you'll receive a text message containing the relevant info—and a 99-cent charge on your monthly bill. If you frequently find yourself trying to "name that tune," 411-SONG also offers a $3.99/month plan for unlimited song IDs.

Google Reader on the run

The only thing worse than being away from your e-mail is being away from your news feeds. If you're a Google Reader user, your feeds can go where you go. Just point your browser to the mobile version of the Google Reader site: www.google.com/reader/m. This small-screen version of the site lets you view your feeds, your subscriptions and even your tags. Plus, it's a Google-run product, meaning you're not handing your user ID and password to a third-party developer (as with Reader Mini, which doesn't seem to work on many devices anyway).

Find missing children

Statistics show that the first three hours after a child is abducted are the most critical in recovery efforts. The Wireless Foundation, in conjunction with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and virtually all wireless carriers, offers AMBER Alerts via SMS.

Simply enter your phone number and up to five ZIP codes (so the service knows which alerts to send your way). When an AMBER Alert gets issued for your area, you'll immediately receive a text message including the child's description, where he/she was last seen, and any pertinent vehicle data. The participating carriers deliver these messages free of charge, so there's absolutely no cost to you. Do your part and sign up now.

Win your auctions

eBay pros know that the service offers SMS alerts that will notify you when you've been outbid. Of course, that doesn't help you if you're away from your PC and want to place a higher bid. That's where UnWired Buyer comes in. This free service syncs with your eBay Watch List several times per day, then calls you three minutes before an auction is scheduled to end. You then use keypad commands to get real-time updates, up your bid and track the auction right up until it's over. UnWired Buyer is free for registered eBay users in the U.S. and Canada.

Turn MP3s into ringtones

Paying for ringtones is like paying for sex: It should be done only as a last resort. If you own a phone that plays MP3s and supports custom ringtones (as most models do these days), it's a fairly simple matter to turn any MP3 into your very own 'tone. Lifehacker uber-editor Gina shows you how in Geek to Live: Make a ringtone from any MP3. Don't forget to peruse the reader comments at the end of the tutorial, where you'll learn about phone-specific ringtone options, how to create MIDI ringtones and much more.

Rick Broida, Lifehacker associate editor, uses his Verizon LG enV for everything but actually talking to people. (Verbal communication—how 20th-century!) His special feature, Alpha Geek, appears every Monday. Subscribe to the Alpha Geek feed to get new installments in your newsreader.