What is Toktumi?

It’s a Virtual PBX system that allows your small business to appear as if it is a large business. It allows you to “Go Mobile” by adding a 2nd number with voice mail to your cell phone – business and personal numbers on one phone.

The part that I loved was that by adding the iPhone app, I could make calls through my toll free business line and have the toll free number appear on the consumer’s caller id. Even better, using that app to make calls through their VoIP would mean I would save money by not using my cell phone minutes.

But here’s the thing:

I signed up for the service on March 25th. I immediately faxed over the required consent form allowing them to becoming the carrier for my existing toll free number. Anddddddd I waited the required two weeks before inquiring as to the status of my request. I even gave them an extra day.

I headed over to their site (that has no customer service phone number) and waited 32 minutes for a customer support chat person to assist me. The “live person” had no answer for me aside from telling me that my number was not finished being “ported”. In fact I was asked the same question three different ways which basically left me with the impression that they had no idea of what was going on. Complete waste of my time.

Two days later I received an email asking for the consent form to be faxed to them yet again.

I have not heard from them since.

I signed up for this service allowing a cushion of time so that I would be able to cancel my existing PBX service and not have to pay them for the following month. However…cha ching…I paid them again today for the next month.

While I typed this post, I thought I would give the customer support chat another try. See if they had any updates for me.

Time I logged onto their live support:

• 4:07 PM. After logging in with my account information and question, I was told my approximate wait time would be 23 minutes.
• 4:30 PM. Still waiting, though I really need the bathroom at this point, because the coffee I drank while waiting these 23 minutes has gone right through me. However I’m afraid that if I leave I will lose my shot at speaking to someone.
• 4:40 PM. Still waiting. With my legs crossed. I get my husband to take my place at screen staring for the next minute or two and head to the bathroom.
• 4:47 PM.  Forty minutes and finally…….”Leton: Hello, Princess. Please give me a moment to review your question/submission…”
• Here’s how it went:

4:52 PM:

Leton: i am not certain i understand your situation
Princess: I signed up for service on 3/25. I faxed my porting release TWICE so far. And I am still not switched over yet.
Leton: what is the number you are trying to port ?
Princess: I gave it to you already but it’s 888-xxx-xxxx
Leton: ok let me check your numbers status.
 

It’s now 4:57 PM. At this point, this has taken longer than Dell’s customer service ever has. At 5:02 PM he/she returns with this:

Leton: still checking..
 

5:09 PM. It’s now officially an hour  and two minutes that I have been sitting here.

Leton: Hello Princess your port request is still being processed. Please note it takes approximately 2-3 weeks for a port request to be completed
Princess: Uh, it’s now 4/14. I signed up and faxed my request on 3/25. Your service says two weeks, now it’s 3 weeks?
Leton: Ok Nancy your request has been submitted to our carrier and we are currently waiting for a response
Nancy: Wonderful. I’ve been sitting here for one hour and 6 minutes just to hear that.Thanks so much.

 

So now what ll happen? Who knows?

Toktumi? Thanks for holding me up for 3 weeks, over 2 hours of “live chat waiting/talk time and probably having to pay another month of service from my old provider in addition to your service.

Here is how it works:

1. Open the iTunes App Store on your iPhone or iTouch.
2. Select ’Featured’.
3. Scroll to the bottom.
4. Select  ’Account’.
5. Select to sign out if you are already logged in. 
6. Sign back in by using ‘Existing Account’.
7. Have your friend enter their user name and password. 
8. Hit ‘OK’
9. Search for the app your friend had already downloaded onto their iPhone or iTouch.
10. Select ‘Buy Now’ but understand that you will not be charged. 
11. You will then see a message stating ‘You have purchased this application already would you like to download again for free?’.
12. Select ’Yes’.
13. Your friend’s application will now download and install.
14. Go back to step one and follow through step 5 so that your friend is now logged out of your iPhone device. 

And there you have it! One downside is when an update to the shared application occurs. Your friend will have to sign in again to complete it and that can get annoying….depending of course on how close you are with your friend.

Enjoy

Words with Friends

If you only have one game on your iPhone, make it this one. The game is addictive, fun and you can play it at your leisure.

There are a few options for playing a round. You can elect to play with a random player. I’m currently on my 5th game with “CurtNC”, whoever he/she may be. You can play a friend who also has Words with Friends downloaded. You can invite friends from your contact list, Twitter or Facebook. You an also play one on one with both players using  your own iPhone.

The game allows you to pass on a turn, swap tiles, play or resign. There is no time limit to how long you can take on your turn, which allows you to keep a game going according to your availability. You can also have multiple games going at one time.

There is a chat feature allowing you to converse and there is the ability to see if the person you are playing against is online.

The game clearly lets you know when it is your turn. It keeps track of your most recent wins and loses. 

The only bug I have found is when a player does not take their turn for days at a time. It should automatically close the game if someone has not played, yet I have a game hanging on my screen for 10 days now.

Aside from that issue, it’s a great game. There is a free version, however the pop ads are extremely annoying and so it’s worth spending the $2.99 for the full version. I don’t say that lightly as I am pretty cheap about spending money on apps.

A must have gaming app at $2.99
Download from
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Couch to 5K

This app is a must have for anyone that is a runner or a wanna be runner. It’s based around a 9 week program plan that flips between walking and running.

Every week in the plan is configured to provide you with a 3 day workout, giving you days off between each workout day. A training session will be between 30 and 40 minutes including warm up and cool down time.

Each week the program will graduate into longer running times and shorter walking times until you are actually running that 5K.

Features of the app include:

• Sound alerts for switching between running and walking.
• Sound alert for your midway in distance so that you know when to point yourself back home.
• Accomplishments can be published to Facebook or Twitter.
• You can listen to your iTunes while training and use customisable play lists.
• Website support and training programs.

I like that you never have to look at your screen once you start the training program.  Everything you need to be aware of is given by sound alerts. Music can be controlled through the application directly removing the need to flip between the program and your iTunes. You can pause the program at any time.

If you’d like to go past 5K, you can set the timer on this app. It will still guide you the same way. You can also add additional voice prompts to this program.

A terrific program and well worth the cost of $2.99
Download from
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

So I researched my options here, because there has GOT to be a better option than shelling out $200-$400 per incident, right?

Types of coverage:

Traditional Insurance Companies:State Farm. USAA, Geico, etc. Some companies in some states will let you purchase a floater that will cover your iPhone for loss or damage. Pricing can range anywhere from $15 to $50 dollars a year, however most of them have a large deductible which just might not be worth the cost/deductible fees.

You must already have an existing policy with the insurance company, so check with your homeowner or rental insurance company to see what your options are. At last check, State Farm’s rates were $30 a year.

Best Buy Black Tie Protection: They’ll cover liquid damage, cracked screens, cracked casing, etc… All you have to do is bring your damaged iPhone into any Best Buy, they will fix it or replace your device on the spot. They do not cover theft or loss.

The down side? It’s expensive. The price of $15 a month or $180 a year is pretty costly. They will cover 2 repairs and 1 replacement.

The up side? There is no deductible and they will provide you with a loaner phone during the 3 or 4 days it might take to repair your iPhone.

IRepair: For $7 a month or $55 a year, this company will insure your iPhone. Their deductible on a 3Gs is $20 and they cover a limited amount of things. They don’t cover any water damage, nor do they cover damage to the outside back casing or bezel. They do cover the cracked glass faceplate. Loss or theft is not covered.

To me with this plan it comes down to spending $199 to repair a glass face with Apple versus $55 a year with IRepair.

SquareTrade: Their plan costs $8.99 a month or $120 for a 2 year policy. You must purchase the plan within 90 of purchasing your iPhone. and there is a $50 deductible. Coverage includes damage caused by dropping or spills. They do not cover a lost iPhone. They will only cover one replacement.

Included is extended coverage of Apple’s warranty and there is no deductible when a problem occurs because of the manufacturer’s defect. Another plus is that they will replace your battery if the life drops below 50% of the original.

Safeware:  The plan here costs $79 a year for a 3GS. There is a $50 deductible and they cover accidental damages, theft, power surges and…floods? There is mention of “processing fees” but I was not able to find more information about how/when they apply.

Worth Ave Group:  A newer company in the iPhone insurance world. Their policy for a 3GS is $69 a year with a a $50 deductible per incident.  There is no occurrence limit and they cover liquid spills, accidental damage, theft, power surges and vandalism.

I’ve left out Apple iCare for a good reason. They only cover repairs of normal wear and tear damage……and who needs that? If a damage is caused by a drop or spill, the plan is useless.

Realize that with most or all of these plans, if your iPhone is stolen or damaged, you will be without a phone for anywhere from 3 to 10 days. For someone like me, this could be quite traumatic.  Try to keep an older cell phone around so that you have something to use in the meantime.

Know of any other plans or have experiences with these companies? Please share them.

CouponClipper: 

The only thing I found this app useful for were some local restaurants, and even then it wasn’t all that impressive. There is no feature for emailing yourself the offer and some retailers won’t honor your ‘iPhone”. However for the price of free it’s saved me a few dollars at the local Mexican restaurant. So until my son grows out of wanting to eat there weekly, I’ll hold onto this app.  It’s put out by the people at Clipper Magazine and I am assuming their results are limited to local retailers that pay for inclusion into their magazine.         

For the price of: free, it’s worth having just to save a few bucks on pizzas.
Download from :
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Coupon Sherpa:

One of the better coupon iPhone Apps in iTunes. Large selection of national retailers and they had me at Banana Republic. Click a retailer and  it shows you the offers available as well as the expiration date. It shows you the nearest location and then lets you view the actual coupon to present at checkout. 

You can also elect to email yourself the coupon. Thoughtful. I’ve tried using the coupon directly from my iPhone at Ann Taylor and was told they needed the actual paper coupon. So while the app is pretty good, some of the retailers…suck.

At free, it’s a shopaholic must have!
Download from:
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Coupon Cabin:

One of the most inclusive coupon apps on iTunes. From the main screen you can choose from viewing: all coupons, online only coupons, printable coupons, local coupons and grocery coupons. While the online and printable coupon section is pretty valuable, the local and grocery section is pretty worthless. Again , for the price of free, how much can you complain?

There are also sections on the app for submitting coupons, sharing coupons with friends and subscribing to their newsletter.

Free application
Download from:
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

mobiQpons:

A variety of options come with this free application. You can elect to view deals by distance, alphabetically or by category. Find a coupon you’d like to use and tap it to enlarge. There you’ll find not only the bar code but the coupon code for easy entering. You can also choose to tweet, Facebook or email the coupon to others. 

Here too is a grocery section. Slightly more useful (but not by much) than Coupon Cabin’s. One market came up: Whole Foods.

You can also keep track of how much you’ve saved with their running calculator.  Not something I’d personally bother with.

Free App
Download from:
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

There are a multitude of coupon applications on iTunes.  There were several I downloaded that I really found very worthless. Shooger, Valpak and Cellfire were among them. Again, usefulness is probably a relative thing here. The area you live in might make some applications more worthwhile than others.

Have a coupon app you like? Please share them in the comments section!

Solution? Create your own.

It’s simple to do. 

1. Download THIS silent ring tone to your computer.
2. Open up iTunes and place it in your ring tone library.
3. Sync your iPhone to your iTunes.
4. Open up your sound options from the settings icon on your iPhone and there you will now see the Silent Ringtone as a custom ring tone.

Now let’s say you’d like to silence reoccurring solicitors.  The next time one calls, make a contact out of it. I’ve named my “annoying callers”: Junk. Assign your new silent ring tone to your newly created contact. You can add up to 9 callers to it.

The next time any of those people call, the ring for it will be…..silent.

Enjoy the  peace!

Cuffu Full Diamond Case – White Princess: At $10.99 it’s a hard plastic case encrusted with crystals and pearls. There are slots that allow you to use the key buttons and dock connector.

The  Silver Full Crystal Diamonds Bling Case:  Another hard plastic case much like the one above  for $17.99. It’s loaded with clear crystals. 

Check out Amazon for a huge selection of affordable crystal Princess iPhone cases.

For the ultimate  Princess in crystal iPhone cases you’ve got to head over to Crystal Icing, where they will custom design a Swarovski case for your iPhone. Cases there start at $295, but they are one of a kind and truly spectacular!

Pogo iPhone Stylus

The Good? It’s light weight, has a soft foamy tip and comes with a clip.  If you have long nails, large hands or wear gloves, it’s a great time saver. You can use it for all of the moves you would normally make with your fingers. Slide, type, swipe.

The Bad? You have to hold it perpendicular to the screen for it to really work it’s best.  The clip is a great thing, but only if you don’t plan on using a protective case too. It doesn’t fit over even my thinnest of iPhone cases.

Overall, it’s a great thing to have, but it’s not going to be as good as the human touch. Then again that’s my theory with  a lot of things in life.

For around $10 at Amazon, the Pogo iPhone Stylus is worth having. If you don’t plan on using the clip on holder, I’d suggest ordering more than one.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

That’s not convincing enough?  Does ‘FREE’ make it more tempting?

It couldn’t be easier to use.  Simply open the app, selected the course you’d like to make: main dish, side dish, soup, appetizer, salad, dessert, breakfast or bread. Then select your main ingredient. Next choose how long you’d like the dish to take to prepare and view your matches.

The recipes t hat come up include a picture, user ratings, and complete instructions.  They also include a nutritional information panel that includes fat content, sodium, calories, etc.

The All Recipes Dinner Spinner app also contains a search feature that allows you to define filters such as vegetarian, vegan, no dairy, no wheat, high fiber, low fat, low sodium and low carbs. There is a feature recipe section where All Recipes selects various recommended recipes each month.

You can add any recipe you like to your favorites for future reference. Add the one below to your favorites. I made it tonight and it was awesome!

From the spinner, select main dish, chicken and  ‘any’ for the time.

Garlic Chicken and Grapes:

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 373 | Total Fat: 11.1g | Cholesterol

This is a ‘must have’ app for anyone that enjoys cooking.  Even more attractive, it’s free.

Download All Recipes Dinner Spinner at the iTunes Store
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars