How to get notified of incoming phone calls while online

In order to get notified of incoming phone calls while you are online you must first have call waiting activated on your telephone line. If you don’t already have this service you can call your local telephone company and have them start the service. Once you have call waiting you can choose a call-notification service (see our sample list below) and then you’re all set to surf the web without having to worry about missing those important calls!

You have several options when it comes to choosing a service that will notify you of incoming calls. The companies range in both price and features but all offer the basic service of letting you know when you’re getting a call while online. Below is a brief listing of the most commonly used services available via the web, although there are other options available.

1) PhoneTray Dialup 2.11 (http://www.phonetray.traysoft.com/) - this service allows you to receive and screen phone calls while online. The program uses your V.92 modem and Call Waiting service from your phone company to detect an incoming call. If you have Caller ID on Call Waiting, also called Call Waiting ID or Visual Call Waiting, PhoneTray will show the caller's name and number, so you can decide if you want to answer the call or ignore it. Also gives you the option to zap telemarketers and has lots of options for handling incoming calls and keeping a call history. Free for 30 days and then you are charged a one-time fee of $15.00.

2) Callwave (http://www.callwave.com/) - this service offers many of the same features as PhoneTray but after a 30-day free trial they charge you anywhere from $3.05/month on up.

3) AOL Call Alert (http://www.aolcallalert.com/) - this service pops up a window when you're receiving an incoming call. Free for 30 days and then you are charged $3.95 - $7.95/month.

4) Pagoo (http://www.pagoo.com/) - this service has an onscreen toolbar that notifies you of incoming calls. Free 30-day trial and then you are charged anywhere from $4.95/month on up.

5) BuzMe (http://www.buzme.com/) - a window appears onscreen telling you of incoming calls and then you can decide what to do with it (accept, ignore, etc.). Free for 30 days and then you are charged $14.99/year.

Please note that, because these services are being offered through third-party companies, any kind of problems that may arise from using these services are outside the realm of our normal phone technical support.