Use Google Voice Actions for Any Web Service that Supports SMS or Email [Android Tip]

The latest update to Google Voice Search on Android is pretty sweet, but reader Bob shows us that it could control a whole bunch more than just Android’s built-in apps-with SMS and email, you could just do about anything.

Voice Actions was the catalyst for me to finally got me to root my G1 and put on CyanogenMod 6. When it was first announced, I believed it was weird that the ” note to self” command sent an email to yourself. I’d've preferred that or not it’s a calendar entry. Well, it’s not that much extra work to get it to try this. Just install your Google Calendar account in order to work with their text messaging shortcode, GVENT (48368). When you’ve done that, add GVENT in your contacts as something creative like Calendar. Now all you want to do is activate Voice Actions and say something along the lines of ” SMS Calendar: Oil change on Saturday at 9.” I prefer to have it send texts from my Google Voice account, since it’ll send a reply in confirmation; you’ll want to set communications up with GVENT with the phone number you’ll be texting it from.

This tip, while seemingly small, reveals that Google Voice Actions can actually do so much more than what is on the outside. We’ve featured lots of these before -most cloud services nowadays offer SMS or email-based ways of managing them-but the compatible services are almost too numerous to list. Listed below are some of our favorite examples, though (most require you to enable something on the service’s end, so click the links to accomplish that before trying this):

Add events for your Google Calendar by adding GVENT on your contacts as an SMS number. (Note that there’s no direct link to the mobile setup; it is advisable go to Google Calendar and click on Settings > Calendar Settings > Mobile Setup).
Update Twitter by adding 40404 on your contacts as an SMS number.
Update Facebook by adding your personalized Facebook upload email address for your contacts.
Add new tasks to keep in mind the Milk by way of its Twitter integration . After adding Twitter for your contacts as 40404, you are able to send an SMS to it starting with d rtm (example: d rtm Pick up Milk on Monday at 5pm). You have got to type the rtm part manually, but you may do anything else by voice.
Create a new note in Evernote simply by its Twitter integration . Text message Twitter with @myEN or d myEN at the start of the message (example: @myEN Grocery list: Milk Eggs Chicken).
Schedule shows in your TiVo, add things for your Netflix Queue, and do loads of other stuff by adding kwiry for your contacts and beginning your SMS with the right kind service name (e.g., tivo 30 rock to schedule a recording for 30 Rock.

Really, the chances are endless, as so many services contain email or SMS support in a method or another nowadays. These are only a few of our favorites, so in case you have your individual that we didn’t mention, share it within the comments.

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This post is tagged: calendar account, calendar entry, calendar settings, compatible services, phone number, text messaging