Mobile phones only have two real options for incoming calls. Answer them or divert to voicemail.

Phones should have the option of telling callers what the callee is doing.

"Fred bloggs is driving at the moment. He can answer your call if it's really important, but he will have to use his handsfree kit and will not be able to give you his full attention. Press 1 to leave a meesage or 2 to call him".

"Jane Smith is having a nap. If your message is really ugent, press 2 to wake her, or press 1 to leave a message"

Users would be able to set up 10 different messages and select the current message by a few simple keypresses on their phones.

This is a network level function and would require no modifications to exisitng handsets.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 20 2002

I was wishing for something like this today. Croissant for somewhat anonymously putting it in writing on a website out in the middle of cyberspace.
-- polartomato, Jun 27 2002


"8th of 7 is talking to someone much more important than you. If you leave your number at the beep, He will have one of his flunkies get back to you. If and when."
-- DrCurry, May 27 2003


yes, where is he? its very worrying - anything to do with the absence of TeaTotal?
-- po, May 27 2003


Some land-line voice mail systems do let you set multiple messages and choose between them, but usually it involves horribly complex so nobody uses them. I love the idea of doing this on the mobile phone, with one-key access.

Possible enhancement: a Bluetooth enabled phone could automatically recognize some of these situations, for instance if you are in the car and the car is Bluetooth enabled. Then you wouldn't even need the keypress. (WTAGIPBAN)
-- krelnik, May 31 2003


Why not monitor your voice mail as the message is being recorded. Then YOU decide if you want to talk, not the caller.
-- thirdrockphoto, Jul 31 2004


Yes, yes... But I'd also like a few programmable buttons on the phone. When the phone vibrates, one button might take the caller directly to voicemail playing a message like "Hello, this is Joe, I know you called and I have your phone number. Unfortunately, I'm having a conversation right now and cannot politely answer my phone. Leave a message if you'd like, but I will be calling you back at the earliest possible moment." or "Hello, I don't know your number, and I can't answer my phone right now, so please leave me a detailed message."
-- bascon, Nov 30 2004


" [normzone] will be listening to your message when you leave it, but he's using this machine to avoid speaking to you until he absolutely has to, or is ready for it, whichever comes first "
-- normzone, Nov 30 2004


"Hi, this is [Worldgineer]. I'm in a meeting right now. Press 1 for voicemail, or 2 if I asked you to call to interrupt this meeting. Please ignore any crying that will follow - I'll be pretending you are in the hospital."

(anyone seen [8/7] or has he disappeared again?)
-- Worldgineer, Nov 30 2004


I fuckin' love this.
-- Eugene, Dec 01 2004



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