Call Waiting? PC Will Deliver Message
Tired of wondering who might have tried to call while you were using the phone to surf the Web? A technology being unveiled today by Santa Barbara-based CallWave will let you find out.
Instead of getting a busy signal, callers will hear a recording that sounds like an answering machine greeting. But the message they leave can be heard through the PC’s speakers, giving Web surfers the opportunity to log off and return the call right away.
The service--which is compatible with all dial-up Internet service providers in North America--is designed for the 16 million American households that have Internet connections but only one phone line, said CallWave President David Hofstatter. It may also appeal to the 20 million homes expected to get Internet service in the next year, he said.
Hofstatter wouldn’t reveal the cost of the service but said it will be aggressively priced and will be cheaper than the cost of a second phone line. The software required to use the service will be available for download Tuesday at https://www.callwave.com.
