Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store
First Look: Fake Calls for iPhone
Have you ever been on a blind date that you really wanted to get out of? How about participating in the world's most boring meeting or wanting to get away from the in-laws?iPhone owners now have a great tool available for making that quick exit, and it's called Fake Calls. From iPhone startup Magic Tap, Fake Calls sells in the App Store (click opens iTunes) for just US$0.99. In order to make it appear that you have just received a phone call from someone important, you can change the wallpaper for the Caller ID, set the phone to ring or vibrate, and customize the caller number or name. You set a time for the fake call (i.e., 15 minutes into that really dull date), and at that predefined time the fake call comes in. Voila! Instant excuse!
Since you're not really being called, no airtime charges apply. Magic Tap is also planning on donating 10 percent of earnings from Fake Calls to several charities -- could it be to assuage their guilt over an app that helps you to lie?
Considering how creative Fake Calls is, it will be fascinating to see what their Magic Tap's next iPhone app will do.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
SteveJr_Ri said 9:41AM on 11-06-2008
or you can use this app to show all your super geek friends how cool you really are
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Joseph said 8:03PM on 11-06-2008
Me: Hey guys, I'm getting a call, hold on a second.
Friend: Dude, you have an iPod Touch.
Me: Touché
Tom said 9:47AM on 11-06-2008
Is it not the same thing as this? http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=291680245&mt=8
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Jash Sayani said 9:43AM on 11-06-2008
No signal in the pic !! Lol.
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ximon said 10:24AM on 11-06-2008
"Considering how creative Fake Calls is, it will be fascinating to see what their Magic Tap's next iPhone app will do."
About as creative as the other fifty apps that do this are. I smell a rat...
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acidscan said 10:23AM on 11-06-2008
I prefer Phony, it gives you more real excuses:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=294767376&mt=8
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CAHLITO said 10:33AM on 11-06-2008
this was free over the weekend so I snatched it up. It's ok I guess, I'm never in any situations where I need to use this, but hey you never know!
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Gary Fung said 10:44AM on 11-06-2008
Steven Sande: did you change email address? You seem unreachable these days :(
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Zibri said 10:54AM on 11-06-2008
I wonder WHY do you consider this creative !!
An application like this exists for any programmable phone.
I have seen it for Symbian a few years ago.
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Schell said 11:01AM on 11-06-2008
Finally, a way to tell the cool people from the really cool people.
Oy Vey.
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robby3ring said 10:57AM on 11-06-2008
TUAW:
Thank you for reviewing all the applications I couldn't care less to read about.
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joelisfar said 11:40AM on 11-06-2008
But how do you change the ringtone?
Mine plays that goofy acoustic song always, even though that's not my default reader.
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alvareo said 10:26PM on 11-06-2008
you can't.
Rick A said 12:08PM on 11-06-2008
Maybe they can donate to Liars Anonymous!
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Flunky Carter said 12:29PM on 11-06-2008
I like the concept of the app. But as most scenarios go in life, looonngggg unanticipated interruptions by people that would necessitate use of this are random, and in those situations preparation time is impossible. Just pick up your phone and say... Hello? Sorry, I have to take this...
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vandil said 12:51PM on 11-06-2008
Exactly. It's actually easier to pretend your phone just vibrated and "answer" it.
Sometimes it seems like iPhone apps are starting to go down the dumb path like Dashboard widgets did.
Arun said 8:04PM on 11-06-2008
Do you really need to buy the app? I have always set an alarm in such cases and make sure that the alarm tone is the same as ringtone! Then quickly do the - "Can you give me a minute, need to take this....." and walk away turning the phone to "Silent Mode" before it really rings! (yup been there)
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alansky said 12:51PM on 11-06-2008
Anyone who actually uses this trick to get out of something should note that most cell phones broadcast the voice of the other party to anyone close at hand. Better excuse yourself to take the call if you don't want to look like you're talking to yourself--which, of course, is exactly what you're doing!
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Jason said 1:23PM on 11-06-2008
Can I run this on my iPod Touch, so I can pretend that it's an iPhone?
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Ashwin Narasimhan said 3:44PM on 11-06-2008
Why the hell would you want to do that? It's that kind of attitude that got us into the economic mess we're in. But if you really want to, according to the developer, you should be able to.