New Free Anonymous Call Tool Debuts
A new service has launched offering a free and easy way to let people call your cell phone or landline via a Web page, without ever knowing your number. LetsCall.Me couldn’t be simpler: You register an account, get a custom URL (letscall.me/username), and then start using the service.
In registering, you give the site only your name, e-mail address, and the phone number you want to use. All of that information can be kept private. Your custom page shows only a box into which visitors type their own phone numbers. The service calls them, then calls you and connects.
What’s cool about the setup is that the call you receive shows the person’s actual caller ID info — both name and number. And since it actually calls them first to make the connection, they can’t put in fake info and can’t block the caller ID data. You, however, do have some blocking options. You can specify any numbers to the service that you don’t want to be able to call, and it’ll prevent them from dialing you.
LetsCall.me is free for unlimited use. As of now, the calls don’t even feature any pre-talk ads — something we assume will change over time as the startup grows and begins to focus on turning a profit. The call quality is generally good, though you do get an echo effect from time to time. Of course, when that happens, you can just initiate a new call from the Web site and you’re back in business.
The service suggests you use it for giving out contact information — i.e. rather than having to tell someone your digits, you could just direct them to your LetsCall.Me page. That could be useful when it comes to online contacts, particularly in an eBay or CraigsList-type scenario. It also, though, gives you an easy cost-free long distance calling tool to use with family and friends, particularly if you prefer to use a landline during times when mobile minutes aren’t unlimited. The one possible downside is the potential for misuse. One could imagine kids screwing around with the service and patching random people through to each other, which could theoretically become a nuisance if the wrong people were to get ahold of your URL.
LetsCall.me is registered to a company in San Diego.
Our vote: This is a fun and simple service that could come in handy. The interface couldn’t be easier to navigate, and starting an account is absolutely hassle-free. I’ve used it numerous times already and have had few problems. The service did appear to suffer a lag one evening and calls were not patched through, but outside of that, there have been no real issues since I’ve been testing it. The question for LetsCall.Me is how it intends to make money and stay afloat as a business. From a user perspective, though, it gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
