Highly useful: CallWave transcribes your voicemail
I've gushed already about CallWave, the free cellular voice mail replacement service. Today the service got even better--the company has just taken the wraps off Vtxt, its automated speech-to-text service.
Vtxt converts voice mail into text. When someone leaves you a message, the service e-mails or SMSes you the transcription. The conversion is far from perfect, but more than good enough to get the gist of the message. You'll still have to listen to the recording to get the message's full meaning and nuance, but with Vtxt you can very quickly scan your voice mails to find the important ones. This service saves a ton of time and reduces the anxiety of having un-listened to voice mails in your in-box.
Vtxt isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. I now know I don't have to listen to this message right away.
(Credit: CNET Networks)I've been using CallWave since January and I highly recommend it--with Vtxt, even more now than before. You do have follow CallWave's instructions carefully to replace your carrier-provided voice mail with this free service, but it's worth the effort.
Read my previous coverage for CallWave's other useful features.
See also SimulSays, which offers a similar service specifically for Blackberry users. It looks like it integrates tightly with Blackberry phones, and costs $9.99 a month.
Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe. 
