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Although cell phones have offered voice dialing for sometime, we find that many people don't take advantage of the feature. Part of this can be the training, as some people don't want to take the time to speak each entry several times. Depending on your phone model, you may not be able to store many entries or voice labels.

If the process is too cumbersome or your phone doesn't recognize your voice, people won't use the feature. We've had two cell phones with this feature and felt both were inadequate for our dialing needs.

In contrast, we've used the voice-dialing feature offered by our cell carrier with great success. We find the service to be accurate and convenient. The main advantage to the carrier solution is the number of contacts and numbers you can store. At a minimum, the carriers allow 500 contacts with 3 phone numbers each.

Another convenience of these services is multiple input methods. Rather than having the information stored on your cell phone, you upload your contact file through the web. Most of the carriers accept CSV files or import files from popular contact management applications such as Microsoft Outlook. One tip we follow anytime we import contact information to another application is to create a small test file to see how the fields map.

You can also enter a contact using the cell phone carrier's web portal to access your address book. This option might be easier if you're testing the service. Most of the services allow you to add a contact by speaking the name and number. This last option is usually limited to a fixed number, but you can convert spoken entries to text entries through the web address book.

Using the service is straightforward and only needs you to press a few keys such as the # key and an extension. Once connected, you say either the person's name, or the name followed by a location. For example, "call Robert Smith" or "call Robert Smith home". These services also allow you to say, "call" and provide a 10-digit number. Some carriers have other synonyms such as "dial" or "ring".

Because these services reside on a computer rather than your cell phone, they have more intelligence. For example, if I have several entries for people with the first name of "Dave", these systems can read back a list of matching entries. Or, if I have a contact name that is difficult to pronounce, I can assign a nickname.

If you're a heavy caller or someone who does all his or her calling at set times, you'll enjoy the stay connect feature. This feature allows you to place another call without redialing the service. The services all include a help feature that will provide your options.

Before you start using these services, you need to create an address book. There are a couple of rules. First, all phone numbers must be either 10 or 11 digits. This rule restricts calling international numbers or 911. If you're one of those people doesn't add area code information to local contacts, you should make the corrections. Secondly, if you add "Robert Smith" to your address book, but say, "call Bob Smith", the system won't recognize your entry.

Like all voice recognition systems, accuracy isn't 100% yet. Your success rate can vary based on whether you're speaking directly into the phone or using some alternative such as a headset or speakerphone.

Below is a list of major cell carriers and the links to their voice activated dialing services. The costs vary, but run as low as $2.99 a month. In some instances, the carrier provides the service for free if you have a qualified disability.