Month: February 2010

Now that the Visual Voicemail from Vodacom seems to be up and running (if you still having issues check out PJ’s comments), I set up my phone to divert all calls when busy. This way, when you reject a call it will go straight to voicemail, which will then notify you using Visual Voicemail, when then of course, you can listen to at your own leisure. So now, when that dreaded “Blocked Number” appears on your screen, you send them straight to Voicemail. Bye bye pesky telemarketers.

To do this, I did the following:

1. Set up Visual Voicemail by sending VVM on to 123. If you don’t have an iPhone, or not on Vodacom, you can skip this step. Just means you will need to dial your voicemail to listen to the messages from the Blocked Number caller.
2. Set up the diverts for when your phone is busy. To do this, you can use the settings on your phone(iPhone only has an option for all), or by using the codes below: (Use the “When Cellphone is busy” option)
   

   Unanswered calls	**61*(number diverting to)#	##61#
   When cellphone is off	**62*(number diverting to)#	##62#
   When cellphone is busy	**67*(number diverting to)#	##67#
   Unconditional Divert	**21*(number diverting to)#	##21#
   Cancelling all diverts		##002#

3. To setup so that the call goes straight to your Voicemail, you can use the following
   • Vodacom – +27 82 131 (+ the last 9 digits of your phone number)
   • MTN – +27 83 14 (+ the last 9 digits of your phone number)
   • CellC & Virgin – If you have these please leave a comment below
4. Once this is setup, if you you get a pesky Blocked Number, simply divert the call using the reject button on your phone. Most phones have a red hangup button, which does the trick.
   On the iPhone, there are 2 options. Firstly when your phone is unlocked and you receive a call, you can just press the red decline button. You can also push the power button(at the top on the phone on the right) twice. The first time will mute it, and the second will decline the call
   If your phone is locked, and you only have swipe to answer shown on your screen, you need to push the power button at the top TWICE FAST. If you do not push it FAST, it will simply reject the call with a engaged signal. Make sure you press the power button twice FAST :)

And that’s it. No more silly Telemarketers. No more boring salesman. No more annoying Debt Collectors :) If they choose to leave a message, you can listen to it in your own time.

Another fantastic post by Stephane Reinstein (@divemasterza) looking at the very cool WhatsApp iPhone App
Ever been jealous of BBM, the Blackberry to Blackberry messenger, well I have been.

There are a few solutions available on the Appstore, but in my opinion non that match Whatsapp (0.99$)  (Appstore link)

It can detect other iPhone users in your address book who are running the app, and add them automatically. This auto-discovery is done on every launch of the app.

It obviously uses Push notification to alert you of incoming messages, but the great bonus of this app is that it is also available for BB users, and you can send messages across platform.

I admit it is quite difficult to convince BBM users to download an additional app!

You can send

• Voice Message
• Text Message
• Google map pins
• Pictures, taken from the camera or from the album (pictures are downsized before sending)
• .vcf cards

I have tried it with friends locally and overseas: it is almost instantaneous and you get a delivery and read notification! I think this is one more nail in the MMS coffin.

I came across a very cool Instant Messaging app for the iPhone last night. You may have heard of Meebo before ? Meebo started out as a web-based instant messaging platform, which allowed you access your IM services like MSN, AIM or Google talk, amongst others, from a web-based interface anytime, anywhere.

Meebo have now launched their latest offering, the Meebo iPhone app (iTunes Link). The app, which is free on the app store, is one of the best IM clients I have used on the iPhone. I have played around with a few of the other offerings including IM+, and the simplicity of Meebo outweighs the other apps.

Meebo also offers Push notifications for when you are out of the app. So if you start chatting with someone, and close the app, if they start chatting with you, it will send you a push notification to let you know they have sent you a message.The app also syncs with the Desktop or web version and keeps a full chat history.

So far, for me, Meebo is the  best chat app I have used on my iPhone, and could soon find its way to being on the home screen on my iPhone.

I got a tip off from one of my blog readers today, in a comment to an earlier post, where he mentioned that Vodacom has launched Visual Voicemail for the iPhone, a much anticipated feature from the network.

What is Visual Voicemail ? (From the Vodafone Website)

With the Visual Voicemail application, you can see exactly who left a message and when they left it. All the info is right there on your screen. With one touch you’ll be able to jump to the most important messages first, or even skip messages completely.

This means you can see who left you the voicemail, without having to dial into your Voicemail service (121). You can also listen to it on the phone.

Vodacom have launched it, and the service cost’s R9.99 a month. To activate the service you need to SMS “VVM ON” to 123. To deactivate the service, you can SMS “VVM OFF” to the same number.

I tried activating mine earlier, but have so far been unsuccessful, and when I called the call centre at Vodacom, after 17 minutes, I finally spoke to someone who sort of knew what I was talking about

If you have managed to successfully activate Visual VoiceMail on Vodacom, let me know what you think ?To see more info about Visual VoiceMail check out the Official Apple iPhone Guide or the Vodafone Australia Visual Voicemail guide