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    Today in Tech

    New mobile caller ID feature displays names, locations of anonymous callers

    By Tecca | Today in Tech – Thu, Jul 14, 2011

    Know who's calling without having them in your address book

    It's hard to believe that not too long ago, caller ID didn't exist. To know who was calling, you had to (god forbid) actually speak to the person. If that person happened to be someone you were trying to avoid, there was simply nothing you could do about it. But up until now, only landlines were capable of displaying the name of anonymous callers, with mobile phones requiring an address book entry to determine who was on the other end. A new feature from T-Mobile changes that, and displays the name, number, and city of the caller, even if you've never spoken to the person before.

    It's called Name ID, and it brings mobile phones one step closer to rendering their landline counterparts completely obsolete. The feature is the work of Cequint, a mobile technology company which hopes to be able to offer the feature on all major carriers shortly, though T-Mobile was the first to officially embrace it.

    Name ID carries a $4 monthly fee. However, if you happen to purchase one of a few select new phones from T-Mobile, you are given a 10-day free trial of the new feature. As the carrier's vice president enthusiastically put it, "Before Name ID for mobile phones, deciding whether or not to answer an unfamiliar call often left customers guessing. Now, Name ID allows T-Mobile customers to more easily determine which calls to answer."

    [Via: Electronista]

    -- By Mike Wehner, Tecca

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    16 comments

    • Crackhead Barry
      Crackhead Barry  •  10 mths ago
      This should be a FREE service for all regardless of what carrier you use as the majority of those who use masked numbers are #$%$ phone solicitors who disregard the Do not call list.
      • MN Tom
        MN Tom 10 mths ago
        Do not call list does not apply to cell numbers.
        They are already blocked. If solicitors are calling your cell, they don't use the list. Or you have given it out to a less then honest company.
      • Tony
        Tony 10 mths ago
        The phone call scammers often use a list provided by other scammers, so it is impossible to get off those lists as they just keep circulating.
    • Drew
      Drew  •  10 mths ago
      Don't recognize the number? Then don't answer the phone, d'uh!
      If it is something important then they can leave a message and I can decide if I want to call them back or not. Best of all, it doesn't cost me $4 a month.
      Of course, I grew up before mobile/cell phones so I'm not compelled to answer like the younger generations. I almost feel sorry for them......Almost.
      • VVick
        VVick 10 mths ago
        some solutions are just to simple for the masses to understand.
      • Tony
        Tony 10 mths ago
        Don't recognize the number ?
        Parents with a kid gone on a trip with others will answer any number because that number might be from someone calling about their kid.
    • micheal
      micheal  •  10 mths ago
      I am sure someone has already come up with a way to mask their info
      • Tony
        Tony 10 mths ago
        It's possible to spoof caller ID information.
    • Joan
      Joan  •  10 mths ago
      Why does satellite TV still have youhave a landline connected to your box....and why do home security systems still use the landline ? I've been told there are only a couple of wireless security systems and their performance is not impressive. ADT wants a landline.
      I hope someone is working on being able to change that.
      • Tony
        Tony 10 mths ago
        Alarm systems have been using landlines to reliably report their signals for over 20 years. The system can share the landline easily with other telephone uses as the alarm system rarely needs to use it.
        The problem with wireless is that it makes it hard for ADT to remotely control your alarm system - if you don't pay the bill, they can disable the alarm system so it won't clutter their incoming equipment will signals from an unauthorized system.
    • kriste
      kriste  •  10 mths ago
      this isn't a story, it's a friggen t-mobile ad! notice how many times it says t-mobile? and how many ads are on the side? god i'm so sick of these ad's that pretend to be a news story, wonder how much yahoo is getting paid to act like it's news!
      pretty scummy yahoo. akin to doctors taking kickbacks to prescribe medicine....
    • BrannigansLaw
      BrannigansLaw  •  10 mths ago
      I'll be happy to accept a call from Shannon Smith if that's her in the photo.
      • John
        John 10 mths ago
        Helz Yeah, I would too.
      • Tony
        Tony 10 mths ago
        Not me, I prefer brunettes
    • VVick
      VVick  •  10 mths ago
      I don't know the number, I don't pick up, I keep my $4. After taxes I assume it would be $5.
    • Watchdude
      Watchdude  •  10 mths ago
      Um...MetroPCS has offered this service on all of it's phones for free for about two years now....way to go T-mobile, that's why I dropped you so long ago.
    • Lc F
      Lc F  •  10 mths ago
      This Feature is Currently Available on Metro PCS at No Additional Charge!!!
    • J.
      J.  •  10 mths ago
      Great no more phone jockeys selling the latest junk. If I get those call now I answer and walk away.
    • I always know more than U
      I always know more than U  •  10 mths ago
      JUST SO YOU KNOW, you can go to a site called: TRAP CALL and not only get the caller ID but you can also create a block caller situation that tells the caller your phone is no longer in service!!! I've been using it for years ---- PLUS there are other programs available that will even let you record the message and even transfer a transcribed copy to your email!!!
    • Emme
      Emme  •  10 mths ago
      Yay.. it's about time. Telemarketers are you listening? You cannot hide anymore.
    • eric
      eric  •  10 mths ago
      i wonder how many people have called that #
    • Um...riddlemedis!
      Um...riddlemedis!  •  10 mths ago
      Brilliant.
    • Fuzzy Dunlop
      Fuzzy Dunlop  •  10 mths ago
      Or you could just use Ooma, which has no monthly bills and even allows you to block calls
    • Elizbeth JJ
      Elizbeth JJ  •  10 mths ago
      Its good the features are there if a person wants it. On my landline phones if a person called out of area the number could not be traced. I always paid for the services but the caller always knew that the services could not help me. I finally learned not to answer the phone if I did not know the number. My life is alot different now and has been for some time and when I dropped the ah that the calls were for any way then the calls quit. So you people that get those calls, really think hard why your getting them and then ditch the ah that is causeing the disturbance in your life. Good Luck.
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