Webware

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)

We already knew text messaging service Kwiry could perform some cool tricks via text messaging--things like adding products to your Amazon.com wish list or adding movies to your Netflix queue. But now the service is adding rudimentary TiVo control to the list.

TiVo already offers more detailed DVR access via its Web site, as well as TiVo Mobile (for smartphones with Web browsers), but the Kwiry service should work with even the most rudimentary cell phones, so long as they have text messaging capability.

The TiVo beta should be available on Kwiry Wednesday. Here's how it's supposed to work: link your TiVo Series2 or Series3 DVR to your Kwiry account (a one-time affair on the Kwiry Web site), and you should be able to command your DVR to record shows via a simple text to 59479 ("kwiry").

Kwiry says the service will automatically schedule a recording of the next episode of the show in question, so "tivo the office" should grab the next episode of the Steve Carell dramedy. Sounds easy enough, but we wonder how smoothly it'll work, especially with shows that have multiple syndicated episodes on multiple channels--will kwiry be smart enough to grab the new episode of Lost, and not the rerun on G4 or Sci-Fi? Thankfully, the service is free, so you can experiment with impunity.

This morning, SMS reminder service Kwiry is adding a new tool to its repertoire called shortcuts. It goes beyond the original implementation of adding keywords and photos to look up later, and turns it into a tool that links up with various Web services you might be using.

The first implementation of that is with Netflix. If you're a subscriber of the DVD-by-mail service, you're now able to simply send an SMS to the service with "Netflix" and the movie title and it will automatically be added to your queue. This is one of those things that's just genius--if you overhear someone talking about a movie you can simply send a quick text message and have it show up on your doorstep. There's no need to log in to Netflix from your phone (which only works on a few handsets) or scribble it down somewhere for later.

Amazon.com users also have their own shortcut that's not nearly as sexy as the one for Netflix, but still useful. Texting "Amazon" with a product name will add it to your wish list. Like the Netflix implementation, this has been set up to let you track it down later just like you would a search query, but with the eventual intent to buy. As part of a promotion, the company will be buying a Kwiry'd item someone's put on their wish list each week for the next few months.

Besides Netflix and Amazon, Kwiry has also added some GTD tasking utilities, including support for writing a to-do list and adding events to your Web calendar using the same shortcode. It will convert things like days of the week into the proper date and time in whatever calendaring tool you're using. Likewise, the to-do list you put together can be edited and rearranged back in Kwiry. I think these two items are going to be used less than the Netflix and Amazon look-up, but it's a sign of other things to come from this search look-up tool.

As I've said before, I think Kwiry is a fun little tool if you don't have the time to fire up your phone's Web browser, or if you're one of the millions of folks with an older handset. The only crux here is that SMS fees continue to go up, and using this a few times a day can really add up unless you've got a good texting plan from your carrier.

Kwiry users can now add Netflix movies to their queue and items from Amazon onto their Amazon wish lists with shortcode messages.

(Credit: Kwiry)

Kwiry, the memory-saving tool I wrote about back in December, has just put out a useful update for people who don't like to type. Users can now send photos to their Kwiry stream in hopes of digging up a search for it later. The company is hoping people will use this to catalog things they come across in everyday life, and bookmark them for later like people do with links on services like Delicious and Magnolia.

Kwiry's creators insist this isn't a photo-hosting service--just a tool to help people dig up more information about something they've seen while out and about. Up until now the service's core approach has revolved around text, either via SMS or the mobile Web. The workflow for users who upload photos is very different; instead of building up a group of searches related to what you've sent, your picture will simply sit there unless you've entered text or a note to beef up the notation. This means users must try to identify what they were trying to remember, or have their friends help them out by doing some of the grunt work for them.

To complement the idea of taking pictures while away from a computer the site has amped up its mobile offerings, with a more lightweight version of its mobile page for both standard mobile phones and Apple's iPhone. The experience is a little more dynamic than the simple SMS system that was in place beforehand--my only qualm is that if you've got an iPhone or other mobile device with a good browser handy you can simply look something up on the spot. The service's creators are hoping people will simply bookmark it for later perusal if only to provide a backward stream of searches and saved items users can come back to at a later date.

Kwiry now lets you add photos as well as text notes that you can search for later. In this case, clicking on the Yelp button on the right would let you hunt down reviews and ratings for Mama's.

(Credit: Kwiry)

It happens all the time. You're out somewhere and hear a good song on the radio, or want to jot down a book, movie or TV show you want to look up later. While many phones have built in voice note applications, the information you just (painstakingly) jotted down stays on the phone, and you might just forget about it. A company called Kwiry (like "query") is attempting to help you out with a new service that turns a brief text message into a full blown Web search that you can come back to when you're near a computer. Think of it like Twitter, but with a dash of Remember The Milk and Google.

The service cross checks each item that's been sent its way over a variety of search engines, including ones like Yelp, Yahoo Shopping, Google Maps, and iTunes to help you sniff out restaurants, products, addresses, and music albums. It's how the service intends to make its money, not only by using things like affiliate links, but also inserting sponsored advertising alongside the regular search results.

Keep track of your own Kwirys, or those of your friends on one big page. You can also just grab the RSS feed and check it out in your favorite reader.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Just like Twitter, messages sent to Kwiry show up on a personal feed with a simple URL you can share with friends. To toggle a sent message as private, you can give each message a letter prefix by typing "p" in front of it. These will show up alongside the rest of your Kwiry messages, although they'll be denoted with a little private emblem that makes them easy to sort through. You can also set it up so just your friends will see your posts either as a default, or by using a yet another letter prefix in front of your message.

Like any good communication platform Kwiry's got a lot going for it with regards to integration with other social services. There are little modules for Netvibes, iGoogle, Pageflakes, and others, along with a Facebook app that links up with your Kwiry account to show off your latest queried items--although oddly missing is a way to send one from the app (which admittedly is kind of useless if you're on a computer in the first place). Twitter fans are also in luck, as you can simply add Kwiry's Twitter bot as a friend, and send it direct messages that accept the same privacy settings.

The one thing this service is missing is some visual style. I'm not saying it's ugly, but compared to entrances from other micropublishing services like Jaiku, Twitter, and Pownce, Kwiry falls a little on the plain side. The positive to that is that it's super fast, easy, and intuitive, which on the whole is far more important than looks alone. I've added it to my contact list for the time being, although it's worth noting that if your phone's got a data plan, you can probably continue to be selfish antisocial and look things up without sharing them with others.