Mobile users enlisting YouMail digital secretary

Ranks of mobile phone users are enlisting the services of a "digital secretary" that automatically snubs unwanted callers,transcribes messages,and gives loved ones special handling.

Ranks of mobile phone users are enlisting the services of a “digital secretary” that automatically snubs unwanted callers,transcribes messages,and gives loved ones special handling. California startup YouMail said Monday that it has passed the half-billion-call mark and now manages more than 1.5 million calls daily.

“The growth is strong and steady,” YouMail founder and chief executive Alex Quilici told AFP. “It is almost more convenient to not answer the phone with YouMail.”

YouMail lets users personalise greetings to specific incoming telephone numbers. A spouse whose call is missed might be greeted with recorded words of affection while a boss could be reassured a project is nearly complete.

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A “DitchMail” feature lets users bash telemarketers,troublesome ex-paramours,or other unwanted callers in recorded greetings and then have the calls automatically disconnect.

Snippets lifted from movies or television shows along with music or official-sounding advisories were among the array of downloadable greetings available at greetings.youmail.com today.