Legal status of inadvertently sent (supposed to be internal) automated test calls which could be viewed as "prank calls" that go accidentally to 7-13 unsuspecting recipients. And more. YANML i know, please read details. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 21, 2009 - 10 answers

I want to run it in a radio show type of format... a conference call that is. [more inside]
posted by yoyoceramic on Sep 30, 2009 - 4 answers

TorontoFilter: We're moving next week from the US and have a few questions. Can you help us hit the ground running? [more inside]
posted by setanor on Aug 24, 2009 - 45 answers

I work in a small office with a small budget where the only full-time employees are my assistant and I, and we have separate offices. Our office has two phone lines. When one is busy, the other rings. Line one is our published office number. We each have our own voice mailbox. The problem is that you only get the "Press 1 to speak to [her], press 2 to speak to [me]" when both lines are busy or no one answers. I want to set up things so that people can select who they would like to speak to before the phone rings on our end. [more inside]
posted by 4ster on Aug 4, 2009 - 4 answers

Is VOIP (Voice over IP) really mature enough to get rid of the landline, and what would you do with my personal phone/business phone(s) situation?...story to follow. [more inside]
posted by teg4rvn on Mar 27, 2009 - 16 answers

Quality source for number of United States iPhone subscribers? [more inside]
posted by yesno on Feb 26, 2009 - 4 answers

Technical skills for managing a telephony network? [more inside]
posted by tkolar on Dec 10, 2008 - 9 answers

Can I set up a U.K. land line to forward incoming calls to a U.S.-based number? [more inside]
posted by computech_apolloniajames on Nov 26, 2008 - 10 answers

Can anyone recommend an open-source-protocol-based just-for-home-use VOIP provider & software? I'm pretty sure I don't want Skype, pretty sure I don't want Yahoo Messenger - security issues, not knowing what's really going on with these packages once they're installed, plus the license/privacy/etc. agreements are long and pretty bad. [more inside]
posted by amtho on Oct 6, 2008 - 8 answers

How do I hook up a mobile phone to a regular, POTS "hard phone"? Most of the time, I'm at home and it would be easier for me to use a regular, large-size telephone instead of craning my neck to try to use the little mobile phone that I have. If it matters, I'm in the USA and have Sprint.
posted by Electrius on Sep 24, 2008 - 10 answers

Asking for a friend: What is a very good technical text for understanding current and future wireless telephony standards, beginning with the basics about CDMA and TDMA and covering through 3G, LTE, LTE-Advanced, WiMax and beyond? [more inside]
posted by Pastabagel on Aug 19, 2008 - 2 answers

Important Skype Issue! I primarily use Skype for voicemails, however I am getting lots of complaints that Skype's line is busy. Every time I open Skype the preferences are set to only allow calls from people in my contact list. I keep setting them to allow calls from anyone and they keep going back to only accepting calls from people in my contacts list. [more inside]
posted by arniec on Aug 14, 2008 - 3 answers

How can I get my office's computer fax machine to receive faxes more reliably? [more inside]
posted by mccarty.tim on Jul 28, 2008 - 5 answers

I need suggestions for a Google Grand Central alternative. Namely a telephone web app that lets me have use of a local number. No VOIP suggestions, please. [more inside]
posted by mr. creosote on Apr 2, 2008 - 4 answers

I have terrible cell reception in my house so I have been forwarding my cell calls to my home phone when I'm at home. This has worked great. There's a problem though. [more inside]
posted by jdl on Jan 14, 2008 - 7 answers

Cleaning up imported data in excel using VBA. [more inside]
posted by corpse on Dec 21, 2007 - 1 answer

What's the best lightweight, unobtrusive and form-fitting iPhone case? [more inside]
posted by killdevil on Oct 21, 2007 - 20 answers

My wife and I both loathe our Motorola RAZRs, and fortunately, we're able to replace them at subsidized, new-customer pricing at the end of this month (October 28th, to be specific). We're Verizon Wireless customers for a slew of reasons, and are going to stick with VZW; does anyone have recommendations for phones we should consider? [more inside]
posted by delfuego on Oct 15, 2007 - 24 answers

Finally getting a cell phone. The only "feature" I care about is reception. I don't need any doodads, email, mp3s, video etc. etc--the only exception is I need to store 75 numbers or more. Price doesn't matter. What phone should I get? I'm in Toronto (east end/beaches) but am willing to buy thru eBay or whatever if necessary. Should I go with Rogers? Fido? Telus? (Refuse to go with Bell so that one's out). Lastly, I'm okay with doodads and whatnot as long as they don't affect reception so if you've got opinions on those, please share. I'm on a Mac.
posted by dobbs on Mar 27, 2007 - 17 answers

Internet Telephony Query: What combination of hardware and software runs JaJah.com? [more inside]
posted by markovich on Mar 10, 2007 - 8 answers

Does Skype "smooth" your voice to make it sound mellower, more seductive etc.? That's my impression; but is there any evidence to support it? I suppose an analogous means of customer retention might be the use in shops of "slimming mirrors".
posted by londongeezer on Feb 20, 2007 - 15 answers

TelephonyFilter: Is there any Internet telephony provider that will allow you to receive incoming calls, but does NOT require that you have voicemail service? When I spoke with representatives at Skype, they said that the voicemail feature can not be disabled. I would be more than happy to use Vonage, however, due to the way my Internet is set up, it doesn't work (a known issue with this particular ISP). All I want is some way to set up a phone number and receive incoming calls ONLY--with NO voicemail, NO forwarding, NO call waiting. Is there any such service out there?
posted by polexxia on Dec 12, 2006 - 7 answers

Finding out for my boss: Can Skype be used as a modem? [more inside]
posted by contessa on Dec 7, 2006 - 20 answers

Experience with Vonage or any VOIP in Toronto? I know it's been asked before but figure the technology may have improved. Also, what about some of their other products?
posted by Manhasset on Aug 18, 2006 - 9 answers

Scriptable multiline voice menu system for a one-day event. Does anyone offer this service? [more inside]
posted by aubilenon on Jul 26, 2006 - 4 answers

How exactly do VoIP services place calls to POTS lines? [more inside]
posted by Brian James on Jul 11, 2006 - 6 answers

I'm strongly leaning toward dumping Verizon and switching to Gizmo. What I'm curious about is the actual user experience of making and receiving VOIP calls. Is it be a hassle to be tethered to the computer via a headset? Do I need to leave my computer on all the time? How do I check voicemail (it's got something to do with e-mail, apparently -- does Gizmo e-mail me WAV files or something)? How do I dial out? If I'm making a call to an automated system that requires touch-tone data entry, how would I do this? How expensive and complicated would it be to route my calls to a conventional handset?
posted by Artifice_Eternity on May 11, 2006 - 8 answers

We've decided to get rid of our landline and go with a softphone. The question is: which to choose? We have cable internet. We'd need call in (our own phone number) and call out (ability to call landlines from our PC). For the most part, we'd be talking to people with landlines. I know we can't dial 911 with these-- we have an old cell phone (no more minutes left, but kept charged up) for this purpose. What's better? Skype? Gizmo? Yahoo? Or something else? We know that USB handsets are available with Skype-- what about the others? Also, how would this work with a home network? Are we restricted to calling from one PC or can we do it from any PC in the house?
posted by Shoeburyness on Apr 17, 2006 - 8 answers

E-mail to Telephone Service or Program? [more inside]
posted by richardhay on Apr 13, 2006 - 3 answers

What percentage of 800 numbers are sex-chat lines? [more inside]
posted by tkolar on Feb 2, 2006 - 7 answers

For the next 18 months I will be regularly traveling in the UK, Ireland and US (pleasure and business). What is the best strategy to optimize international compatibility and consolidate telephony, email and internet access into one (or the fewest) devices. [more inside]
posted by rmhsinc on Oct 20, 2005 - 3 answers

Can anyone recommend a decent inexpensive telephone headset for home use? [more inside]
posted by phrits on Sep 1, 2005 - 5 answers

Wanted: a relatively simple wired-to-the-wall phone with headset jack, message-waiting blinking light (phone company voicemail), speaker phone, and maybe a few speed-dial buttons (caller ID optional but preferred). Only need one line, no answering machine, no wireless. Does this phone exist? [more inside]
posted by amtho on Aug 21, 2005 - 6 answers

Is there any free, public resource that will tell me who owns a particular block of 800, 866, etc. phone numbers in North America?
posted by gimonca on Apr 26, 2005 - 2 answers

Telephone message software. What are some good voicemodem-telephony programs for Windows? I need a program where callers who enter a certain PIN (via touch tone) can hear a recorded announcement that I provide. I've seen some telephony software but I don't recall any support for touch tone entry. Seems something that theater movie lines use would be perfect.
posted by rolypolyman on Apr 9, 2005 - 4 answers

Can I record outgoing phone calls with an external modem in Linux? [more inside]
posted by codger on Apr 5, 2005 - 1 answer

I would like to buy a voice chat headset for my Windows-2000 based computer to use in UT2004/other games and also with Skype. I would like a quality piece but I don't want to pay a lot of money. Suggestions?
posted by selfnoise on Feb 22, 2005 - 4 answers

Internet Telephony - What is the best way - quality and price - to do PC to PC or PC to phone communication with Windows? Headset recommendations (wireless??) ? USB versus soundcard plugs?
posted by srboisvert on Jul 13, 2004 - 1 answer

I've got a few questions regarding ditching a landline for VoIP. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by riffola on Jun 15, 2004 - 17 answers