15 FREE Useful Services To Access from your Phone

Here on makeuseof, it’s all about cool free websites, software and tips. While this post perfectly fits into this philosophy, it’s slightly different from most of the stuff we have published before.

Basically, what you’ll see below, is a list of web services where your phone (not a PC) plays a main role. Whether you need detailed driving directions, someone to wake you up in the morning, quick answer to whatever question you may have or to make free overseas call, it’s all here and freely accessible from your phone. Most of them we have mentioned before, but this time they’re all on one page along with some new ones. Enjoy!

FROM ANY PHONE [Mobile or POTS (Plain Old Telephony Service) ]

(1) Free411 (US only) – free alternative to costly 411 directory service, simply dial 1-800-FREE411 and get the listing you need.

(2) Jott (US and Canada) – simple and convenient service that lets you leave yourself notes, ToDo’s or remainders directly from your phone. Dial a given number (1-877-568-8486), as you speak system will record your message, convert it to text and send it to the provided email address.

(3) TelePixie (US only) – fun service that lets you schedule free memo phone calls i.e. wake-up calls, reminder, weather forecasts, jokes, news, stock alerts and more.

(4) Yak4ever (no longer online) – free, unlimited overseas calling directly from your phone.

(5) Goog411 (US only) – quickly get info on any local business (i.e. hardware shops, pizza delivery, etc. ) or get directly connected with a business/company office you need. (Dial 1-800-GOOG-411)

(6) Bringo (US only) – handy service that lets you bypass annoying phone support waiting lines and get to the company representative you need in a matter of seconds. [HowTo: (1) Find the company you'd like to call by category (credit cards, mortgages, health care, etc), (2) Enter your phone nr. and (3) Wait for your phone to ring.]

(7) Gotvoice (US only) – converts voicemails from your home and cell phone into MP3s and sends them to you by email. Other features include:

  • save, organize and access your voicemails online
  • auto-share received voicemails with others (i.e. friends, coworkers, etc.)
  • send voice messages to several people simultaneously
  • reply to voicemail without ringing the recipient’s phone
  • create personalized greetings for different callers

(8) GrandCentral (US and Canada) – get one phone nr. for all your phones, web-based centralized voicemail system, call recording, spam filters, setup custom caller greetings, switch calls between any of your phones, save/organize/voicemails online and more.

(9) Tellme (US) – yet another cool, free directory service for local businesses, maps, and directions. To use Tellme, you can either Dial (1-800-555-TELL), send text message (to 83556) or download TellMe software to your mobile.

(10) Call-in-Sick (US and Canada) – evil but rather handy service that lets you record “˜i am sick’ type message and schedule it to be delivered to your Boss early in the morning.

MOBILE ONLY

(11) Zypsy (no longer available) – call provided number and leave whatever question you have. Receive your answer via SMS, shortly after. (“Can you find iPod 20Gb cheaper than $198?”, “Where is the closest Fry’s to Mountain View CA?”, “Any deals or coupons in downtown Palo Alto?”)

(12) GoogleSMS (USA, Canada, Germany, Japan and Spain) – get instant info about local restaurants, weather, flight information, movies, translations, driving directions, currency conversions, etc. via SMS.

(13) Soonr (Mac, Win) – handy piece of software that lets you access your PC from mobile. Browse files, search docs, check your email-client (i.e. Outlook, Thunderbird), run Skype, etc. Read more

(14) Text2store (US) – “Tell us what you would like to buy. Receive deal alerts on your mobile phone with store info and location…

(15) Roam4free (worldwide) – must-see service for all frequent travellers and mobile users with huge roaming charges. Roam4free offers special type of sim-cards (20 EUR / approx. 26USD) that can be used in 115+ countries. It lets you make cheap overseas calls, and receive calls for free in over 65 countries. Up to 90% discount on standard mobile rates.

In case, you’re aware of anything that will make this list even better, please drop it in comments. I will gladly add it to the list.


MakeUseOf Recommends

Aibek Esengulov

The guy behind MakeUseOf.com. Follow him and MakeUseOf on Twitter @MakeUseOf. For more details check out MakeUseOf about page.

The comments were closed because the article is more than 180 days old.

If you have any questions related to stuff mentioned in the article or need help with any computer issue, just ask it on MakeUseOf Answers.

Hide 10 Comments

  • tanya May 25, 2007
    0 likes

    And there’s 1800-555-1212 which is basically directory listing for all toll free numbers. Of course you can dial this from all phones.

    | Like
  • Pat Pelan May 25, 2007
    0 likes

    thanks for mentioning our products, roam4free, Yak4ver and allfreecalls, watch the space though, we are adding local numbers to roam4free in two weeks, so you could roam the world on a Germany number and we will go live in 6 more countries with free calls over the next month
    thanks again

    | Like
  • Aibek May 25, 2007
    0 likes

    @Tanya
    thanks for the info, I knew there were other useful ones.

    @Pat
    that’s just Great, I would appreciate if you send me a note once updates are out.

    | Like
  • Fred August 2, 2007
    0 likes

    Awesome that you mentioned Jott! I love this service, especially when I’m driving….goes well with my bluetooth device..and keeps my hands on the wheel! Thanks for posting these useful apps!

    | Like
  • Aibek August 2, 2007
    0 likes

    yeap Jott is an excellent service, definitely must-see type.

    | Like