



Nearly every new webapp on the block offers some kind of text message integration, but not all of them are the kind you'll want to keep on every phone you own. However, there are a few contact numbers and services that make even the cheapest phone a high-tech wonder that can schedule and plan events, transfer money, price a potential purchase, or do just about any Google search. Let's take a look at 10 contact numbers and email addresses worth making frequent SMS correspondents.


10. AIM BudgetBot, the Todo.txt Bot (and other auto-responders)


Having a stern accountant follow you around and comment on your spending would be a good way to keep to a budget. Having an automated AOL Instant Message-based bot tell you how you're spending and what you've got left is almost the same, but far less annoying (especially on plane trips). Once you can IM with your phone, use Adam's instructions to set up a personalized budget-tracking bot. If you keep a todo.txt file, you can also get an AIM bot to manage that from your phone. Got another set of data you want to text with? Roll your own bot.

Instant message a phone Old news but still good news - you can send a text message to any SMS-enabled phone via AOL Instant Read more

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9. TextMarks (41411)


Unless you're toting a PDA or cellular email access, sending messages to a group means a thumb-numbing amount of button-pressing. Set up a group at TextMarks' web site, and you've got one address that gets a pre-set message (or RSS snippet or other dynamic text) out quickly. Consider it a private, dynamic Twitter, with less downtime (Original post).


8. Flickr


There are dozens of apps that can upload your digital photos to photo-sharing site Flickr from your desktop, but one of Flickr's earliest upload methods, the simple email address, works great for getting a great cam-phone shot up quickly. Flickr provides a unique address for each account (found here for those with logins), with the subject line of your upload email set as the picture title and body text as the description. No matter how clunky your phone's photo tools, you can share a spontaneous pic in an elegant interface with Flickr.

7. ICE, a locksmith, and other emergency numbers

It may not impress your friends as much as this list's other entries, but having an In Case of Emergency contact listed under ICE could be seriously helpful if you're in a bad way and can't speak for yourself. Having a reputable locksmith and cab company in your contacts can also be a life-saver (figuratively and literally, respectively), and why not take the minute or two to add your insurance provider's claim number as well? When you need these numbers in a hurry, they might turn out to be the most killer apps in that gadget of yours. (Original posts on ICE and locksmiths, etc.).


6. Jott (866-JOTT-123)


Jott does a pretty helpful thing on its own, turning your phone calls into emails or text messages, but it's webapp connections that really make it worth a spot in your contact roster. Update your Google or 30Boxes calendar, add a task to Remember the Milk, update your blog or Tumblr, or just preserve something you remember while you're driving your car or unable to text. Find out how to get things done over the phone with Jott.


5. Google Calendar (48368)


Whether you use Google Calendar as your day planner or just a portal for iCal, Outlook, or another app, it's super-easy to update your schedule and get daily agendas from GCal. Enable your cell phone in your Google Calendar's Settings->Mobile Setup, then send it items just like you'd use in GCal's informal Quick Add language: Sunday 11am Brunch with Mom , for example. Send "day" to get today's events, "next" for just next scheduled item, and "nday" to see tomorrow's list. Watching your waistline these days? GCal SMS makes it easy to track your weight (Original post).

Track your weight with SMS and Google Calendar Reader Tom writes in with a technique he uses to log his weight each morning using Google Calendar Read more


4. Paypal (729725)


You owe $12.35 on the lunch bill, but you've only got your credit card, and the place doesn't take plastic. No need to welch on your tab if you've got a PayPal account and you've done a little account verification. Check out Gina's guide to sending money by text, and you can pay your share, send cash to those who need it, and get the auction you just won moving while you're on the move.



Wondering whether that gadget marked 'Sale!' is really a bargain? Shoot an item description to AMAZON (262966) and you'll get the mega-retailer's price on it. You can also buy the item on the spot, following a confirmation phone call, making it easier to have retailers compete to offer you the better deal. Want to broaden your pricing scope a bit? Try these SMS price comparison tools for other retailers' offers. (Original post)

Compare prices via SMS The mobile phone experts over at TechCrunch published a nice roundup of SMS services that compare… Read more


2. Twitter bots


You can tell your followers what you're doing, sure, but social messaging service Twitter's far more helpful when teamed with the right automated services. Once you've set up Twitter with your cell phone, send a direct message to rtm to update your Remember the Milk task list, or have today's agenda sent to your phone. Type in d timer 120 transfer clothes to dryer to get a reminder to wrangle your wet laundry. See our guide to managing your life via SMS for more lesser-known uses for Twitter.


1. Google SMS (466453)


It's probably no surprise that Google's SMS service, which provides a seriously large share of its search functionality via text message, rounds out a list of the most powerful tools you can keep on your phone. Driving directions, metric and currency conversions, local business category results, flight information, and much, much more is offered for free and, at the moment, without ads. You can even set a default location to save yourself a few thumb presses per text. Definitely worth the space in your contact list. (Original post)






What are your must-have cell phone contacts that help you get things done on the go? Give 'em up in the comments.