Visual Voicemail on Blackberries

Last night I discovered a service called YouMail
http://www.youmail.com

I don't know if the new Bold's or Storm's have visual voicemail or not, so this might not apply to those. Those of you with iPhones have definitely been privileged.

In conjuction with a third party app you can manage your YouMail vmail without the need of the browser on a blackberry.

The app is called VyMail.
It will show who the voicemail is from, how long, play it, and delete it without having to call in.
VyMail can be download from:
http://www.joekrill.com/vymail/

There is an OTA install for that available too. Point your phones browser too http://www.joekrill.com/vymail/ota/

I just followed the instructions on YouMail to set up my Blackberry Pearl 8100. Basically all it does is change the phone number missed calls get forwarded to and changes the number your cell phone dials when you use your phones voicemail button. This means you're voicemail is now own the YouMail system and not as in my case AT&T's system.

Even if you don't install VyMail you can still manage your voicemail from your blackberry by pointing the browser to http://m.youmail.com

You can even have custom voicemail greeting messages for callers.
You do need to upload a copy of your phone's contacts to YouMail if you want to be able to do this. Right now my phone recognizes my callers by first name and tells them I'm unavailable.

You could though add a custom message to crazy ex-girlfriends. There are tons of pre-recorded greeting messages. Many make it so the persson calling you thinks there is a problem with their phone. You can even have it hang up after it plays the message.

Or you can just mess with your friends using this service too.

Update: 03/12/09

http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/...gle-voice.html

Looks like Grand Central is now Google Voice and has all the old Grand Central features I've grown to love and now has the YouMail features like custom answers and visual voicemail

Enjoy

Update: 03/24/09

I just checked back at youmail.com and saw they have an app now for blackberries. Now visual voicemail on blackberry is almost identical in function as visual voicemail on an iphone.

go to http://m.youmail.com/ota on your blackberry to install it.