Hey, Apple! 1999 just called and it wants its voicemail avatar back

Siri will soon answer your phone calls, adding a functionality that Orange killed in 2005 when it shut down the still-lamented Wildfire service. It’s rumoured that Apple employees are testing a system which can transcribe voicemails. Believed to be called iCloud Voicemail, the service seems to be a mix of Wildfire and that …

[Little Mouse]

But what'll happen if Siri picks up the phone to an automated PPI-scam bot?

They could end up talking to each other for hours...

[Anonymous Coward]

If that then ends up costing the PPI-scum money in phone charges, and ties up their resources so they can't pester as many people... surely that's a good thing??

[O RLY]

"If that then ends up costing the PPI-scum money in phone charges, and ties up their resources so they can't pester as many people... surely that's a good thing??"

Except in the States where punters pay for incoming calls as well.

[Captain Scarlet]

O_O American's have to pay to be cold called!

I see no reason for this, its an outrage!

[Steve Davies 3]

Nah

The US is getting closer to becoming a 3rd world country every week.

Advertising Companies and Lawyers rule the roost ok!

[Anonymous Coward]

You might be a tad out of date. And or out of touch.

I don't pay for incoming calls – I have an unlimited plan – as, I suspect many of us do.

I also don't answer calls that I don't recognize the phone number and/or that block Caller-ID.

[O RLY]

"You might be a tad out of date. And or out of touch.

I don't pay for incoming calls – I have an unlimited plan – as, I suspect many of us do."

No, not out of date or out of touch. US mobile carriers charge for incoming calls. That you pay a flat rate for your voice service doesn't change that fact; it's merely obfuscated in your bill.

[Anonymous Coward]

talking to a brick wall there mate

[Anonymous Coward]

But what'll happen if Siri picks up the phone to an automated PPI-scam bot?

They could end up talking to each other for hours...

If Apple managed to automate something that takes care of double glazing salesmen and PPI calls I suspect they won't be able to ship it fast enough. Maybe that's an idea for Google to encourage Android penetration? The very idea of having the ability to intercept you calls as well ought to make them salivating..

[Busby]

Still fondly miss Wildfire had it for a few years and as unreliable it could be was brilliant when it worked. Was a bugger to support though.

[Blank Reg]

The technology is much improved. My carrier offers this and it is remarkably accurate, even correctly spelling the names of people, places and streets

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello.

"Dave can't take your call right now, he's holding me wrong."

[Destroy All Monsters]

Re: Hello.

"The divorce lawyer will be in touch!"

When AIs collide.

[Joe Harrison]

Wildfire was a saucy one

She used to invite me to listen to her collection of William Shatner LPs

[P. Lee]

Re: Wildfire was a saucy one

Apparently, you are the Special.

[Mutton Jeff]

I've been using HulloMail

For transcription, works reasonably well.

[Richard Taylor 2]

I still fondly remember visual voice mail. A useful if not essential feature of my 3G iPhone - although I think it was tied to a specific (long abandoned - obviously not essential) carrier - Vodaphone?

[Frank Bough]

Nope, O2. Still works, still excellent. One of the reasons I switched back to O2. Vodafone never got their shit together on this - and so many other - issues.

[Trollslayer]

Patents!

So Orange can sue Apple!

It's all gone Pear shaped!

[Ben Boyle]

Re: Patents!

That's a very Wednesday joke for it to still be Monday. Well done that man!

[Gannettt]

Wildfire?

Not too popular here in California at the moment!

[Lost in Cyberspace]

HulloMail

I enjoy diverting my phone to HulloMail on my day off for individualised messages.

Out of hours, it tells my customers I will ring them back when I'm next working, and it tells my mum / wife / kids / school receptionist the best number to reach me on.

And I get a text equivalent of the voicemail right in the app, so I can continue enjoying my day off without listening to someone describe the error message on their screen - for four bloody minutes (until the VM cuts them off).

I would love this functionality in the Apple VM app though. If it supports out-of-hours voicemail greetings.

[Oh Matron!]

Libon!

Orange SA (France) have an app called Libon which does exactly this. It's excellent although the transcribing has tailed off of late.

It also emails you the recording, and you can have three separate greetings for groups of people (work contacts get the "his nibs is away from the phone", Family get the "what do you want?" messages)

Try it. Very good and free :-)

[Tim99]

Answering machine

I liked the functionality of an old B&O answering machine. It had 3 answering options: a formal "business" message; a different message for your friends; and my favorite, for people that you did not like, it did not pick up so they would have to keep dialing you, and were not able to leave a message.

Presumably Apple could implement something similar?

[Michael Wojcik]

Wildfire was lost?

Was there a killing frost?

"She ran calling [and was answered by] Wildfire..."