caller ID

Mr. Number Aims to Make Unwanted Cell Phone Calls a Thing of the Past

Ina Fried in Mobile on April 20, 2011 at 5:30 am PT

The start-up, launched by Vindigo founder Jason Devitt, aims to return control of the phone to its owner by blocking unwanted calls and using crowdsourcing to identify callers not in one’s address book. A new extension of the service, being announced on Wednesday, will allow users to also tell their friends whether they are interested in being called at the moment.

Voices

The Rise of Caller ID Spoofing

Andy Jordan, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on February 8, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Applications that let users change or “spoof” their Caller ID are gaining in popularity in mobile phone app stores, even as Congress considers stalled legislation to outlaw particular uses of the technology, and criminals use it to engage in nefarious activity.

Connecting With Your Inner Earpiece

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on January 19, 2010 at 4:17 pm PT

The new Jawbone Icon synchs with a PC to expand its voice-command capability and add personality to your Bluetooth device.

Two Years and 30,000 Complaints Later, FTC Finally Busts Car Warranty Robocallers [UPDATED]

John Paczkowski in News on May 18, 2009 at 8:46 am PT

After more than one billion unsolicited calls and some 30,000 complaints–one from Senator Charles E. Schumer–the Federal Trade Commission is finally going after companies responsible for those supremely annoying car warranty robocalls. You know the ones I’m talking about, I’m sure. They’ve been occurring since 2007 and go something like this: “This is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire.” Hang up and the machine calls you again later. Transfer to a “warranty specialist” and ask to be taken off the call list and you’re either hung up on or, in my case, given an 800 number to call that turns out to be a phone sex line.

The App Test: Rating Programs for Google’s G1

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on October 21, 2008 at 4:30 pm PT

Today, people interested in seeing the first Google-branded consumer-hardware product will get to satisfy their curiosity as the company, joining with T-Mobile, unveils its $179 G1 handheld computer. This touch-screen device will compete with Apple’s iPhone, and it includes a key feature missing in the iPhone: a physical keyboard.