Technical Communication - Truecall call screener

Specifications:

• Recording software requires Windows XP or Vista
• USB SD card reader supplied
• Web access facilitates configuration but not absolutely necessary

Pros: Easy preliminary setup. Neat and effective

Cons: PC users might prefer local control rather than via a server at a small but not insignificant cost

Overall: Fine-tuning messages and configuration will take time but is worth the effort. Works well as a smart answering machine and (optionally) call recorder

The need to screen unwanted phone calls was once largely restricted to celebrities and victims of malicious or demented callers.

Telephone add-on blocks calls you don’t want and optionally records those that you answer

The need to screen unwanted phone calls was once largely restricted to celebrities and victims of malicious or demented callers.

Now junk calls are becoming almost as overwhelming as spam email and are equally tricky to block. The Truecall system is designed to do so with the minimum of hassle.

The basic setup could hardly be simpler. You plug a lead from the little Truecall box into your main phone jack and your phone or Dect base station into the box. After a few seconds your phone rings and you are prompted to record a greeting message for callers.

Options too numerous to list here are designed to deal with just about any conceivable type of telephone nuisance. Configuration can be done on the keypad, or rather more easily via an indirect web interface on Truecall’s remote server, which carries an annual charge of £15 after the first year. This also allows you to simply paste in a list of Star or Zap numbers. Holding down a button on the Truecall box sets up a dial-up link that synchronises data with the server.

You can pick up your messages remotely by calling your own number and calls can be recorded with the aid of an optional module.