Trucall call screener

Telephone add-on blocks call you don't want and optionnally 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 Pressing the star button during a call to or from a number will place it on a Star list of callers you will accept and pressing the hash key puts it on a Zap list of those you won't. Starred numbers are passed straight through and zapped numbers are either left unanswered (you can't hear the ringing) or played a message of your choice

Unrecognised callers, or those without Caller ID (which include all from overseas), are asked to identify themselves so you can choose whether to answer. They can be cut off if they don't reply, eliminating automated calls, including junk faxes.

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 . Clive Akass.

Price £97.50 (70-hour recorder module £24;140-hour £40; Optional server annual charge £15 after first year)
Contact www.truecall.co.uk
Specifications Recording software requires Windows XP or Vista • USB SD card reader supplied • Web access facilitates configuration but not absolutely necessary

Personal Computer World February 2009

This article is published in More Techs, Fun of IT and More of IT.