calling

Phone-tree app makes calls so you don't have to

Are you coaching a soccer team? Hosting a party? Managing a mobile sales fleet? Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a way to quickly and automatically contact everyone involved, without having to make the same phone call over and over?

That's the idea behind Mr. PhoneTree, a new iPhone app that can call, e-mail, and/or text-message as many people as you want--and even request and track responses.

Think about it. You need to remind a dozen parents about soccer practice. You need to tell invited guests that the party has been moved to an indoor location. You want to let friends and family members know that the new baby was born at 8:53 p.m. and she and Mom are doing fine.

Mr. PhoneTree can handle those and other situations in which you don't want to call each and every person yourself. The app supports simple broadcasts, confirmed delivery (in which it keeps trying to connect with each person until it receives a confirmation), and even surveys (like asking people to RSVP for an event).… Read more

The 404 849: Where we're taking a mulligan (podcast)

Did Shakespeare smoke the devil's lettuce? Joey Kaminski fills in for Wilson today to help us discuss this question and more, like should Jeff go to the world's first tickle spa? How would you evaluate Subway's $5 foot-long sandwich policy? And how do I get free Uncharted 3 and Call of Duty Black Ops (Annihilation)? We'll try our best to answer them all!

The 404 Digest for Episode 849

Capcom tries to kill used video game sales with the one-save game. Instead of pejazzling, Jeff should go to the world's first tickle spa. Twenty craziest job interview questions and the right answers. Crazies exhume Shakespeare's body to see if he smoked marijuana. Did you know that every episode of "Seinfeld" has a Superman reference? Whoa...dude!

Episode 849 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

On Call: Lost iPhones, unlimited data plans, and Nokia's device strategy

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

It's been a few months since I've used On Call to answer reader questions, but this week offered the perfect opportunity. Being that tomorrow, June 29, is the fourth birthday of the original iPhone, I wanted to tackle a great query on replacing a lost Apple device. Plus, the ongoing AT&T-T-Mobile merger has produced a lot of reader questions on the status of unlimited data plans, and the recent introduction of the Nokia N9 has cause … Read more

Reviewed: Office 365

Office 365, announced today, gives professionals and small businesses a subscription service that lets them work from anywhere using familiar-feeling Web-enabled applications. Combined with hosted versions of Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync, Office 365 is designed to enable users to share, collaborate, and communicate in the cloud. In our testing during the beta, we found that the tools worked well across the board (with some hiccups), and expect that many people who use Office on desktop Macs and PCs will appreciate the familiar look and feel, which should help them get up and running quickly.

Obviously, Office 365 is going to … Read more

Skype for iPad hands-on: New competition for Apple's FaceTime

Editors' note: This post was updated August 2, 2011, to reflect that the app is now publicly available.

Skype for iPad got off to a rocky start. It was meant to be available in the App Store in June, languished until August 1, was introduced, pullled for a few hours, and then, finally, settled in. Here's our original hands-on review from June; we'll continue using the app now that the final version is in.

The new iPad-optimized Skype client takes advantage of the tablet's larger screen real estate, making for crisp and clear video chat over Wi-Fi, … Read more

Don't send text; send a voice message.

There are plenty of apps to send text messages and photos to your friends, but what about voice messages? The idea with HeyTell is, instead of calling or sending a text message to a friend, you can send an instant voice mail--as long as your friend has HeyTell installed. Start by touching the green-on-white person-shaped icon to add people from your contact list. You also have the option to connect HeyTell to your Facebook account, but we wonder whether people really want everyone they've ever known sending them voice mails. When selecting friends from your iPhone contact list, HeyTell … Read more

On Call: Civil rights groups line up behind AT&T-T-Mobile merger

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Immediately after AT&T announced its intention to acquire T-Mobile last March, opponents and supporters began to weigh in. And now, three months later, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the wireless industry who doesn't have an opinion on the $39 billion transaction.

Choosing teams For the most part, the two camps are lining up about how you'd expect. Consumer watchdog organizations are against the deal, while pro-business groups and rural broadband proponents are … Read more

Protect your Android phone from theft, malware, and other threats

Is malware really a problem on Android smartphones? It might just be, as evidenced by the rash of malicious apps that recently appeared in the Android Market.

As much as I dislike the idea of needing antivirus and antispyware software for my phone, better safe than sorry. And if I'm going to run such an app, it might as well kill multiple security birds with one stone.

ESET Mobile Security for Android offers malware protection, an antitheft system, call blocking, SMS blacklisting, and more. It's currently in beta, and currently free.

When you first install it, ESET Mobile Security identifies any immediate threats, which on my new Nexus S 4G included disabled SIM matching, an undefined "trusted" SIM, and an undefined password (for the app itself; it's there to prevent unauthorized attempts to uninstall it).

From there it's not immediately clear what you're supposed to do, if anything, but each of EMS' primary modules--Antivirus, Antispam, Anti-Theft, and Security Audit--comes with extensive built-in help.… Read more

Integrate your phone and your desktop

Phone Amego is a clever little menu-bar app that integrates your iPhone--or other Bluetooth phone--with your Mac and with the Google Voice service. At its most basic, Phone Amego provides onscreen caller ID (a small window on your Mac displays incoming callers, and you close the window to send the call to voice mail, or you can program it with AppleScript to respond when you speak the name) and enables you to call contacts from your Address Book with just a couple of clicks. There are also basics like a call log, timer, and a hot key for answering calls. … Read more

How to answer Android calls with a shake

If you've ever missed a call on your Android phone thanks to a failed swipe, you're likely looking for alternatives. ShakeCall is a great, free app that lets you answer and drop calls by shaking your phone, and it's easy to set it up so you can't accidentally answer or (worse) drop a call from a tiny bump. Here's how to switch over:

Install the ShakeCall app from the Android Market. Open it up to show your options and get started. Select "Setup the Shake Version" first and then … Read more