Next Mobile Web is a company that wants to change this experience and as such they have a product called Dial Zero which contains a database of various workarounds on hundreds of companies. Instead of listening to annoying recorded voice, the application helps you to cut through directly to the person.

Dial Zero contain over 600 companies on their database which allows you to click on the company, display its main phone number, description of how to reach an operator or agent directly, and comments from other people as well. These comments include tips on refunds, canceling of subscription, account verification, etc. Dial Zero would allow you to dial in and go directly to the operator or agent.

This application is available on three platforms namely iPhone, Android, Blackberry. Next Mobile Web would also be offering this application on your desktop soon.

Below is how the tool looks like in iPhone:

This is how it looks like in Blackberry:

Lastly, this is your Dial Zero desktop application:

I think this is a very cool and handy application to have that could help boost your productivity by getting what you want in a shorter time period. Also, the tips on getting refunds and other perks from other users can prove useful in this economic state we are in.

Go ahead and download your Dial Zero application here – Dial Zero from Next Mobile Web.

Image from Next Mobile Web.

Post from: EveryJoe

Quick and Fast Way of Dialing Customer Service

U2 Mobile Album for BlackBerry smartphones / Image: Zuma Press

The U2 Mobile Album reintroduces a wealth of material that was the norm for CD releases, which included photos and other information that brought the listener closer, and gave a fuller picture of the artist’s world. In the digital age, these elements have eroded to a pick-list selection and a keyhole snapshot of visual content. The BlackBerry platform, supporting advanced multimedia features, push-based wireless connectivity and social interactivity, offers a very powerful platform to support a new type of album experience for mobile users.

Here are the highlights/sales pitch:

• Get inside the album with access to songs from No Line On The Horizon with images, lyrics, interviews and videos.
• Upload photos and create original, origami-style photo displays inspired by the music.
• Access dynamic news feeds from U2.com and receive alerts when new content is available.
• Track the tour as the band moves across the globe – see where they’re going and where they’ve been.
• Tap into the “Who’s Listening” section and see when and where other users are listening to the album (coming soon).

I don’t really think the end product lives up to the hype (but as you can see, there is more to come). For instance, you don’t get full songs—just snippets with the option to buy. You can go through each song on the album and explore the song itself, as well as videos and interviews. Careful with the big videos—my Tour froze a couple times when I tried to bail early by hitting the back button. The News section proved somewhat worthless as today’s item (”Mixing it up Again”) was unavailable. Otherwise, everything seemed to be working ok. The Gallery is pretty cool—lots of live pics. And the 360 Tour section is actually pretty handy when you’re trying to find out where the band is playing.

The U2 Mobile Album is probably a must for diehard U2 fans. Otherwise, you’re not going to get too excited about this. Check it out for free on BlackBerry App World and from www.blackberry.com/u2.

Post from: EveryJoe

U2 Introduces Mobile Album for BlackBerry

The need for processing power, more robust applications accessible at the fingertips is becoming a norm and recent data from Gartner proves this point. In the second quarter of this year it is reported that smart phone sales has increased by 27% percent totaling 40 millions sales while celfone sales have decreased by 6.1 percent totaling 286.1 million units. While smart phone sales are still far from the total celfone sales, the considerable difference in increase and decrease percentage shows a lot of promise for manufacturers gearing into bringing the computer to the palm of users.

The Gartner story is found here — Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Declined 6 Per Cent and Smartphones Grew 27 Per Cent in Second Quarter of 2009.

Image from Gartner.

Post from: EveryJoe

Phones Turning into Computers

Although the BlackBerry app is in beta and the developers caution users and testers to be careful in using the application, we need more of these types of devices being built for phones and mobile devices.

I do quite a bit of blogging and there’s plenty of times where I’m sitting somewhere without my computer and have a quick post idea. The ability to pull out my phone and start typing away would be terrific! Especially with the ability to take a quick photo or video with your phone and pop that into a post immediately!

The BlackBerry application currently works with WordPress.com and custom hosted WordPress installations. Just what I’d be using for my blogs and numerous other client sites.

Source: WordPress for BlackBerry App Launched in Beta

Image: Image created by Jason Bean from WordPress dashboard and product images from BlackBerry

Post from: EveryJoe

We Need More Mobile WordPress Applications

iPhone 3G S image courtesy of Apple

The new iPhone 3G S still looks pretty much the same as the iPhone 3G it follows. To the untrained eye they look exactly the same. Minor tell tale differences separate the new from the old. Details such as silver lettering that is similar to the Apple logo distinguish which is which. Also the iPhone 3G S is the only model with 32 GB of memory. So if you see 32 at the back, it’s a 3G S.

What’s under the hood is what matters. The 3G S boasts of a performance boost that is indeniable. It launches apps faster, performs tasks quicker and is just overall a much more responsive device. It also supports the OpenGL ES 2.0 standard that will allow better graphics performance. Games should see great improvement with the 3G S.

Apple knew to leave well enough alone. The design of the iPhone still makes it arguably the best looking smart phone around. It works so why change it. Instead Apple focused on the small things. Improving performance, software, and adding small touches.

The camera is now much beter with auto focus and the ability to take videos. It’s by far not the best in the market but it’s a step up. Besides you don’t get a smart phone just for it’s imaging capabilities. If you’re worried about that it’s best to get a dedicated camera.

The new 3.0 software which was downloaed over 6 million times already offers great improvements as well. Apple may have been really late in adding cut and paste but at least they did it right. I must say it’s easy to use and it does work. The landscape mode of the keyboard makes it easier for people with big fingers to type. MMS, text forwarding, etc.. All of this contribute to making the iPhone a much much better device.

While Apple faces stiff competition from the likes of Blackberry and now it seems from the likes of Palm as well, it still is in my opinion the smart phone to beat. Blackberry might have better business features but the iPhone is the overall winner. With 50,000 apps and counting available to you at the app store, it’s just the most flexible phone around.

Post from: EveryJoe

iPhone Is Still The One To Beat

When I started at Rohm and Haas, I was without a phone, desk, computer or login accounts for 3 days. This was one of the strangest feelings I’ve had since learning to drive a car, or the first time I partied too hard in college. It wasn’t fun. Sure, I wasn’t stuck over a toilet or driving like a granny, trying to not go over the speed limit, but it was almost painful.

I’m used to being connected to anyone and everyone at the push of a button. Now, I had to pre-plan what route I was going to take (no Google Maps), who I might need to call (no company directory at hand) and what I had to do (no Blackberry connected to my datebook). I think in the end though, it was good for me. I learned over the past couple months to not always stare at my email, respond to them in near real-time and to live on the Internet (especially Twitter) day in and day out.

With this, I ask you, do you have nomophobia? If so, what do you think you should do about it? Face your fears or live with it?

Related News:
CrunchGear: Do you suffer from nomophobia?
thisislondon.co.uk: Nomophobia is the fear…

Imaged provided by: kb35 on flickr

Post from: EveryJoe

Nomophobia — Do you have it?

Don’t lie to me when you need help with your computer. I don’t judge you if your PC messes up, these things happen but don’t think to lie your way out of it. I need to know what you were doing when the problems happened. If you spilled a coke on your laptop tell me, we all make mistakes.

Now, we have all come across the issue of lying about silly things — more often than not it was back when we were still in diapers but there is an upward trend of telling little white lies about mishaps happening at the work place. Take for example, a Blackberry administrator and his lovely end-user.

One day, Miss I love my Blackberry and would never do anything to harm it (Ilmyb for short), comes up and exclaims that her device stopped working last night. Being the smart IT person that this gentleman was, he examined the device, took the battery out and noticed that it was a bit damp inside. This was a tip off that the device most likely did not just “stop working”, something happened to it.

Fast forward 5 minutes later, the conversation turns to Miss Ilmyb saying, “the device may have become a little wet but that was not when it stopped working.” Feeling a bit underwhelmed, the IT guy took the device and decided to take a look at it later. To his surprise, the inside of the device was covered in orange juice. After cleaning the entire device out with alcohol and sealing it back together (which voids the warranty), VOILA, it worked. Miss Ilmyb finally fessed up to her child spilling orange juice all over the table and it may have gotten into the device.

In the end, the truth came out and the only thing that came out of this was an untrustworthy relationship between the nice ‘ol IT guy and the lady for the next time an issue came up. So please, be kind and be honest. The problems get fixed much faster and we all thank you for it.

Post from: EveryJoe

Lying never got you anywhere