.KEYWORD pocketcall
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Organize your calling cards with PocketCall
.OTHER
.SUMMARY With all the access numbers, PIN numbers, international codes, extensions, etc. that we’re forced to dial, the simple act of making a telephone call has become more frustrating than getting operator assistance from Lily Tomlin. Thankfully, Greg McKinney has found a solution. In this helpful article, he reviews PocketCall, a software program that can organize your calling cards right on your Palm device.
.AUTHOR Greg McKinney
Recently, I was at an airport attempting to use a pay phone to call a co-worker back at my office. I set my carry-on luggage down at my feet, picked up the receiver, and placed it on my shoulder, holding it in place by craning my neck. Then I pulled out my calling card and my Palm device. That was the tricky part, holding them both in my left hand while attempting to dial the phone with my right.
.CALLOUT Just to get in touch with your office, you have to combine the skills of a mathematician and a contortionist.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten one important step; I had neglected to look up the number I was attempting to call! Of course that meant I had to rearrange everything so that I could get to my stylus and open the Address Book on my Palm device. I could probably go on, detailing all the steps it took to make that phone call (and not dropping anything along the way), but you get the idea.
.H1 The solution
The simple act of making a telephone call has become increasingly complicated, as we’re forced to dial strings of access numbers, PIN numbers, international codes, extensions, etc., all while juggling calling cards, address books and phone receivers. Just to get in touch with your office, you have to combine the skills of a mathematician and a contortionist.
There are several ways to work around this situation, however. One such solution is a piece of software called PocketCall, designed for the express purpose of organizing your various calling cards and phone numbers. Simply tap on your Palm device a few times, and you’ll have all the information you need to make a call.
PocketCall is put out by a company called Electric Pocket. What the product does is allow you to store all your calling card information right on your Palm organizer. It also stores access numbers, telephone numbers, and international codes, so everything you need to make a phone call is in one place. You even get instructions on how to dial, written out in script form.
.H1 Making the call
With your calling cards entered into your Palm device, making a phone call is relatively simple. Once PocketCall is started, simply fill in the blanks with drop-down menus. As you can see in Figure A, the interface is quite friendly to use.
.FIG A The PocketCall interface is quite friendly to use.
First, select the calling card you wish to use. In the example shown in Figure B, I selected "Sample" from the drop-down menu, but you’d probably choose AT&T or some other carrier.
.FIG B Select the card you wish to use from the drop-down menu.
The default for the "Calling From" field is US. However, the default for the "Call is to" field is UK. As I wanted to make a call within this country, I changed that to US as well. You can see this in Figure C.
.FIG C The easy-to-use drop-down menu allows you to select the country you are calling from and the country you are calling to.
The feature I really like is the integration of the Palm OS Address Book with PocketCall. The "Number" field has a magnifying glass icon. Simply select the magnifying glass, and you are directed to the Address Book entry as you can see in Figure D.
.FIG D The phone number look-up feature directs you to your Palm device’s Address Book.
Find the person you wish to call and select the phone number. From there, you will be redirected back to the PocketCall screen.
.H1 The script
Once you have finished entering the data on your Palm device, you are ready to dial. The PocketCall screen is divided into two parts. On the upper half, you’re selecting the options for the call. The bottom half (labeled "To make the call") contains a script that shows you what to punch into the phone. Check it out in Figure E.
.FIG E The final screen provides the caller with a dialing script.
The only thing that is not included is the PIN number, though for good reason, I suppose.
.H1 Pre-paid option
Pre-paid long distance service is becoming more popular, especially with those who make frequent international calls. Electric Pocket also offers a pre-paid long distance version of PocketCall. It is called PocketCall Pre-Paid, an International pre-paid calling card on your Palm organizer. PocketCall Pre-Paid makes it far easier and quicker to use a calling card phone service and the company claims you can save you up to 70% on calls.
The user interface looks and acts just like the original version of PocketCall. The per-minute rates seem to be competitive, so if you use pre-paid long distance, then I suggest you check it out. [If nothing else, it’s an interesting gimic. –DG]
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.H1 Pulling it all together
The POCKETCALL.PRC file is 39K. The databases for the different types of calling cards are 3K each. An evaluation copy of PocketCall can be downloaded from http://www.electricpocket.com. The price for the registered version of PocketCall is $14.95.
The pre-paid software is a free download, which does not include the long distance service. However, the software even makes purchasing long distance time easy by putting everything you need to activate your account in script form.
Dialing the telephone should not be a high-stress situation. Next time you find yourself juggling a telephone receiver, your Palm device, and a stack of calling cards, remember there is an easier way.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
You can purchase PocketCall or download an evaluation copy by visiting http://www.electricpocket.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
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.BIO Greg McKinney is a Palm OS enthusiast. You can visit his site at http://www.gregspalmnotes.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6e1f7
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