YouMail: Replace Your Mobile VoiceMail Service

As I spend time searching the net, viewing other's blogs and visiting tech, or geek websites, I occasionally come across very usefull services. Technology was designed to make life simpler and more organized, however, it seems that it can often do the opposite. So when I find a piece of tech out there that adds functionality, simplicity, or fun to your life, then I love to share it with others.

Like this website, YouMail.com. This is a free website voicemail service for your cell phone. Since it has the word "FREE" attached, I decided to give it a try.

Getting Started

Getting started was easy. I just entered my phone number for my cell phone, and they sent a text message to my phone with the password. I was then asked the model number of my phone, and then was directed to type in a number on my phone, call and hang it up. Then I just had to go to a setting in my messages area and change the voicemail number to the new phone number. Don't get too discouraged by all of this. By picking your cell phone and service, they give you step by step directions for your specific phone, so there isn't any guess work involved.

Then, you just simply go online to their website and I can either record a greeting directly onto the website, upload a file from my computer, or select a message from their selection where they boast 1000 + messages.

Mulitple Greetings

For my default voicemail I just use my own voice to give a simple message. Then I setup groups that will have some of the other fun messages, or even just for an individual. The selection is pretty neat, and you can upload your own .WAV files to add to their library also. I don't think that all of them are appropriate for a voicemail message, but they can be fun anyway, great for friends and family members to laugh at.

Cool Greetings

The sound library, called "Cool Greetings" allows users to rate the files. Although it appears that as of now you only get to rate a file once. If you change your mind or hit the wrong button, there is no way for you to re-rate it. Also you can add things to your favorites, but, as of now, you cannot remove them from your favorites. With each sound file is a link to use this file. You press that and you are taken to your YouMail control panel and the file is added to your list of current voicemessages. You can delete files from here if you don't want them anymore. The website does seem a little slow sometimes, especially in the Cool Greetings area, but it's nothing to shake a dial-up modem at.

Contacts

Once you have the files added you can assign them to a group or to individuals. One of the two biggest things I don't like about this service, is that you cannot upload your contacts from elsewhere. You have to enter them individually. This service does seem to be updated frequently, so I wouldn't be surprised to see something implimented before too long. Even something like Plaxo's Address Book Widget would be nice, but that is limited in that it only gives email addresses I believe.

So you add your contacts, then if you wish you can assign someone to a group, so they receive the same voicemail as the group gets. If you have a message, or greeting, assigned to a user and to the users group, you can set the group setting to either overwrite the individual greeting, or to play both greetings.

I have 3 groups setup. Friends, Family, and Work. I have a couple people in each one with a specific greeting. Then I have a couple family members who are not in the family group because I wanted them to have a special greeting without annoying them with 2 messages. Especially since one kind of long and they have no relation. The 2 message thing I could see being useful for businesses. If you have multiple clients, you can have a message for everybody, then at the end play a specific message for just that person.

Another downside that I hope gets fixed soon, if you add a phone number to a user, then remove that phone number and add it somewhere else, even to a different position on the same user, it will not let you. It says that you can't reuse a number. So you have to delete the origional contact that had that number then re-enter the updated info. If anybody from youmail reads this, PLEASE fix that.

My Tests

I have tested my voice mail from several phones, and they all work perfectly. After the normal number of rings I'm directed straight to the voicemail message that is assigned to that phone. There is no delay so nobody would even notice. Now, you can sound professional to those you work with and to your boss, sound all loving to your family, but be goofy to your friends all at the same time.

Some other really neat features of this service is that you can have mulitple phones under the same account, so the settings are all the same no matter which phone is called. They can even support Land Lines, although I couldn't get this setup since they don't support Vonage yet. That's the other big thing I didn't like about this service that I mentioned earlier. So I can't tell you how well the land line version works, if anybody tests it out please leave a comment with some details.

Since this service is web based, you can access all of your voice mails and missed calls online. You can save these message forever, or even forward them to other friends when a goofy or cute message is left. The messages can also be retrieved through your phone or even be sent directly to your email inbox.

Ditching

A unique feature that I have not heard of before, is called "call ditching". You select the ditch icon for an individual and then it plays the specific message for them and hangs up without allowing them to leave a message. There are even several pre-recorded messages just for this service. You can get a disconnected message, or some funnier or annoying ones. This would be useful for an ex-boy/girl friend that just doesn't get the message, or for pesky telemarketers that you don't want calling you anymore. I haven't tested this service out yet and don't plan on using it on anybody so I don't know for sure how well it works, but I don't see how there would be any problems. Maybe tonight I'll try to ditch myself and see if it works from my other phone...

I have been reviewing this service for about 2 days now, and so far I have had no problems, although I have not had anybody call to leave a message for me, so I have to leave the messages myself. It's pretty bad when the only person you can get to leave messages for you is yourself. Oh well. For some fun I should put my dad's voicemail message to be "The person you are calling right now cannot come to the phone, please leave a message after the beep... and don't forget to vote for Hillary Clinton." That would probably spark some interesting messages that my dad would leave on my phone. =:)

Just for the record DO NOT vote for Hillary Clinton. I in no way endorse her or her views and would NOT want to see her become a leader of our nation. That was meant strictly as a joke! You may now continue...

Use it!

From what I have seen so far I would recommend others to use this, however, you may want to hold off for a bit. While researching this service from others sites I discovered another, similar, yet more powerful site. This site has been bought by Google, so they promise to keep it free. It has a different purpose and direction, but all the functionality of YouMail is included, plus a whole lot more. The down side is that it's in beta testing and you have to be invited. Hopefully by mid-week next week I will have my invite and be able to test this one out as well. After I do that I will be sure to write a blog about it and give my opinion on the service.

If you do want to jump on this site, the address, once again is http://youmail.com/.

Now to go find a special message for my wife!

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