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Slydial Voicemail Service Offers “The Illusion of Communication” | Xconomy

"Here’s the paradox that Boston-based MobileSphere is exploiting: We all want to own a cell phone. But a lot of the time, we don’t actually want to talk with our friends, family, co-workers, and all of those other people who are just trying to suck the life out of us. So when we absolutely have to reply to a message they’ve left, or tell them we’re too busy to meet them for lunch, or offer some other minimal gesture of recognition, calling them is far too risky: they might actually pick up, forcing us to interact. It would be far better if we could simply leave a voicemail message, without ever causing their phone to ring. That way, there’d be no muss, no fuss; no dealing with an actual human and all their demands and sensitivities.

And that’s exactly what you can now do with MobileSphere’s new Slydial service, launched yesterday. If you call 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) and enter the phone number of any U.S. mobile subscriber, MobileSphere will connect you directly with their voicemail inbox, where you can leave a message that is as sincere or as noncommittal as you like. The service is free; all you have to do in return is listen to a 10-second audio advertisement."