Caller-ID on TV? No thanks, Sprint, I'm annoyed enough
According to Sprint, its new caller-ID notification service announced today can be personalized just like caller-ID on mobile phones themselves, including pictures, nicknames, custom fonts, and colors for different callers. Even before the phone rings, the company says, a caller-ID message pops up on the user's TV or PC screen.
Betanews contacted Sprint today, but since CTIA WIreless is this week, the reply channel for telecommunications companies has been slow. Our main question, after, "Is this an April Fool's gag?" was "How do you ignore calls?"
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but is avoidance not the main reason to have a fixed voice line? You set up a VoIP line for your home office so that those not close enough to you to deserve your mobile number can contact you within the parameters of the business day. Why would you want your TV to ping you when someone on your work line is calling? For that matter, even if it was being used as a home or family phone, is there any time you'd want a notification popping up on top of the TV show you're watching? I was always under the impression that pop-up messages were a nuisance, not a feature.
If there was an "ignore" button on the remote, it would be a pretty decent idea, or if it could route the call through the television, it would be even better. However, right now, it is just an alert that's telling you to pick up your VoIP phone and hit ignore.
A reply from Sprint is pending. Maybe they're hitting that ignore button too.