NY Times Asks: Is Voicemail Dead?

It's an interesting and valid question. The basic idea behind today's New York Times article is people, especially young people, are choosing to text, email, or tweet information, rather than leave a voice message. And it turns out, it seems a growing number of people aren't even bothering to check voicemail anymore.

As anyone who's left me a voicemail message can attest, I definitely neglect those messages. Often, if I call someone and they don't answer, I'll hang up and email or text them rather than leave a voicemail. This method actually takes longer, but I don't think I'm alone in this habit.

Visual VoiceMail on the iPhone, touted in the NYTimes article, has actually made it worse for me. Previously, I would call in to find out who those three new messages might be from. Now, I can simply look at the phone, see who it is, and I'll have a pretty good idea what they're calling about.

What do you think? Are the days of voicemail numbered? Which communication method has replaced voicemail for you?

Apple and Klausner Technologies Settle Visual Voicemail Dispute

Ahhh, another lawsuit has come and gone for Apple regarding patent violations.  In December of this past year, Klausner Technology accused Apple of appropriating Klausner’s patent for visual voicemail and joined eBay and AT&T in the suit.  The technology references the visual voicemail feature used in Apple’s iPhone.

Apple, eBay and AT&T settled the suit agreeing to license the visual voicemail technology under a non-exclusive deal.  The financial negotiations of settlement were not disclosed.

        Klausner has already licensed the coveted technology to Time Warner’s AOL for AOL voicemail services as well as Vonage for their Voicemail Plus services.  Comcast and Cablevision Systems Corp. are rumored to be in negotiations with the visual voicemail giants.  Comcast is looking to use the technology to send a visual alert your computer or cell phone when you have a new voicemail.  It seems there are never-ending possibilities to being connected.

this article based on information found at www.newsfactor.com