Callwave Intros Mobile Voicemail Screening

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobiletracker.net/archives/2005/12/22/callwave-mobile' target='_blank'>http://www.mobiletracker.net/archiv...callwave-mobile</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Voicemail company Callwave recently introduced a new service that allows mobile phone users to screen their calls as if they are using an answering machine. Technically Callwave replaces your carrier's voicemail system and adds a few twists, including the screening feature. After sending a call to voicemail you get a call from Callwave that lets you listen in on the caller. You can then choose to either cut in and talk or let the caller continue to leave a message. The basic version of the service is free and according to Callwave is going to stay that way."</i><br /><br />This is actually kind of cool. I remember screening our answering machine when I really didn't want to answer the phone; while this isn't exactly the same, it comes pretty close. Tools like this to manage and triage one's mobile phone are a big step up.

[Jon Westfall]

I've already signed up - this has another benefit we haven't even thought of: Ever had someone call and JUST miss their call - well, now this should let us pick them up on the rebound! I just hope there aren't any hidden catches, but there don't appear to be any so far.

Jon.

[ricksfiona]

Interesting. I'm not sure I'd pay for something like this...

[dma1965]

I just signed up for this, and I have to say, my absolute favorite thing about it is that I can delete a voicemail before listening to the end. I have a Cingular account, and when they changed the voicemail system, they made it so you have to listen all the way through a message, or repeatedely hit the 3 key to fast forward through a message before deleating it. This is so %$&amp;* annoying I wanted to just scream. Now, using Callwave, I can delete it right away. The other absolutely awesome bonus is forwarding of voicemails to my Gmail account. This just rocks!!! :wink: [/i]

[Jon Westfall]

I showed this to a few friends tonight and they thought it was really interesting. I'm about to send them a link to the service. Working fine for me.

Jon.

[ChrisF]

Does using this service mean you are essentially forwarding all your cellular traffic to CallWave from your provider? My first reaction is to wonder how much I trust a new, free provider to give the kind of service robustness we expect (though perhaps don't realistically get) from a national provider. What are the odds that their system has intermittent problems that cause you to lose calls?

Christian
(Cingular + Qtek 9100 in Alameda, CA)

[Jon Westfall]

You're only forwarding traffic that you don't pick up on the cell. When a person calls me, it goes to my cell, and if I don't answer it then goes to Callwave's VM servers, which have handled things quite nicely the last few weeks.

Jon.

[ctmagnus]

I'm trying to sign up for this and it tells me to enter a valid cell phone number. Is this U.S. only?

And I found this in the TOS:

You may subscribe for a CallWave Service only if You are a natural person.

I guess they don't want animals using their service. ;)