2/3/2009 Update: Since I wrote this article Jott made the decision to go to a subscription-based product. Friends had already been singing the praises of Evernote, so I switched to it a couple of weeks ago. Evernote has both a web version and an iPhone version, which is the one I use. I am very pleased with it and recommend it to anyone looking for a good note system with both voice recording and photo note capability. MLC

Sometimes I run across a tool that is truly helpful and that gets used on a daily basis. I travel quite a bit in my job with Baselodge Group selling electronics manufacturing services like PCB fab and assembly, keypads, injection molding, and metal casting. My current “tool pouch” when I am on the road is comprised mainly of my laptop computer and my iPhone. Both are Wi-Fi enabled and allow me to be constantly in touch with my email and with the web.

John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing introduced me to Jott, and I decided to give it a try. There are several ways to use Jott, but the way I use it is to call the Jott phone number on my iPhone, dictate a short “to do” message, and hang up. Since I am still using the free service, I do not get an email with my Jott note, but I do get an email with a link to my Jott note. When I click on the link, there in black and white is a written version of what I “jotted” on the phone.

You might be surprised at Jott’s accuracy. For example, yesterday I called Jott while I was in San Antonio and said: “Medical record to Texas Tech.” Here is how Jott interpreted that spoken message:

This is a really useful tool for me because I tend to have some of my best ideas when I am driving down the freeway. Instead of trying to drive and write, I can just Jott myself a note from my mobile phone and be confident that when I get to my laptop, I will have the information available. While I agree that using a cell phone while driving has its own perils, I am confident it is safer for me than trying to write myself a note while steering with my knees.

For me the usefulness of Jott covers business, personal, and writing issues. I may Jott to remind myself to send a circuit board sample to a customer, to remind myself to get the oil changed, or to capture my ideas about blog article topics so they don’t vanish from my mind.

I have not tried a long message on Jott, and I do find that the more slowly and deliberately I speak, the more accurate the transcription seems to be. I encourage you to sign up for a free account with Jott and give it a try. You might just find it to be a helpful tool to you as well.

UPDATE: I just downloaded the free Jott application for the iPhone. I am in the process of exploring it and will write an update after I have put it through its paces.