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Call Someone – Without Having To Talk To Them

Posted by timothy on from the whole-new-way-to-get-ignored dept.

waderoush writes "After a long beta period, Boston-based MobileSphere launched a 'straight-to-voicemail' service yesterday called Slydial. If you call 267-SLY-DIAL and listen to a short ad, you can then be connected to the voicemail inbox of any US mobile phone subscriber, without causing their phone to ring. Sounds kinda useful — but incredibly, MobileSphere is pitching the service as a way to avoid actually communicating with all those difficult, boring people in your life. In reply to suggestions that Slydial erodes and cheapens genuine human interaction, a MobileSphere exec says the company is just combating technology with technology, by helping people take control of whether and when to talk with their friends, family, and coworkers."

5 of 413 comments (clear)

  1. Text text text text text... by argent · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Voice mail is worse than talking to those boring people. I hate voice mail.

    If I want to communicate with someone without calling them, I'll take text any day.

  2. you say that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    . In reply to suggestions that Slydial erodes and cheapens genuine human interaction,

    You say that as if it's a bad thing :-)

  3. You can then be connected to the voicemail inbox.. by Bri3D · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And therefore guaranteed to never receive a response!
    I don't think I -ever- check my voicemail unless I've accidentally missed a call I know is important, and almost nobody I know checks theirs on their personal cell either.
    Text messaging has replaced leaving voicemail for reminders and invitations, as it's much easier and more convenient.
    I think this is a service far past its time. Maybe it would have been useful in the 90s.
    Work is different, but this isn't exactly targeted at businesspeople.

  4. Re:You can then be connected to the voicemail inbo by dubl-u · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't think I -ever- check my voicemail unless I've accidentally missed a call I know is important, and almost nobody I know checks theirs on their personal cell either.

    Seriously? Whenever I see the little voicemail icon lit up, I check it. You really just ignore the messages until they get auto-deleted unless you think there's something especially good in there?

  5. Re:No pound needed. by ivan256 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm sure they call the provider's "check your voicemail remotely" number.

    For example, with Sprint, you can dial the area-code, and exchange followed by 6245 (mail), and then proceed to enter a mailbox number to check (with password) or send (without password) a message to.

    Other providers have a similar number.

    So instead telling people this, these guys are having you listen to an advertisement and dialing the number for you.