You step away from your desk, the phone rings, and the caller hangs up before you get back. Or you're dialing your ISP and an incoming call goes unanswered because the modem is busy. Active Phone Server (APServer) is built for this situation. It turns a PC with a voice modem into an answering machine, caller ID display and call manager.
Quick facts
- Platform: Windows
- Needs: a voice modem, plus caller ID service enabled by your phone company if you want caller ID
- Licence: shareware with a 30-day trial
- Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian and several others
Key features
An answering machine that greets callers by name
If your phone company sends names with caller ID, the program can speak the caller's name in the greeting. It can also play a melody, a WAV file or a text greeting. Messages are saved as ordinary WAV files, so you can play them back anywhere.
Different sounds and greetings for each phone number
Assign a distinct melody or greeting to each number. You can tell who is calling without looking at the screen. A blacklist lets the program ignore or hang up on numbers you don't want.
Call recording and a phone book with caller details
APServer can record phone conversations or play them through the sound card. The built-in phone book stores name, number, mailing address, e-mail and web page for each contact. Every call is logged.
An ISP dialer that doesn't block your incoming calls
The ISP Dialer works as an extension of Windows Dial-Up Networking. It handles up to several thousand ISP numbers and tries the next one when a line is busy or the connection fails. A melody tells you when you connect or when the connection drops. While it dials, APServer frees the COM port, then goes back to answering calls once you disconnect.
Auto-dialer for forwarding voice messages
The AutoDialer calls phone numbers one by one and forwards messages to people.
E-mail checker and reminders in the same tray icon
The Email Checker shows the subject, sender and several lines of each new message. It handles up to several thousand POP3 servers. A Reminder alerts you to events you can't miss. A Modem Wizard finds your modem's COM port and command set, and you can assign hot keys to most functions.
Who it's for
It suits you if you still use a voice modem on a PC and want an answering machine with caller ID, without monthly fees. It also suits you if you dial a lot of ISP numbers and want the dialer and call handling in one program. It sits in the System Tray until a call arrives, so it stays out of the way.
Pros and cons
- Pro: a lot in one tray program: answering machine, caller ID, dialers, e-mail checker and phone book.
- Pro: per-number sounds and greetings, plus a call blacklist.
- Pro: plain WAV files for messages and greetings.
- Con: it needs a voice modem, which many current PCs don't have.
- Con: caller names depend on your phone company supplying them.
- Con: the vendor lists it among its archived products, and its main focus is now other software.
FAQs
Do I need special hardware?
Yes. You need a voice modem. For caller ID you also need the service enabled by your phone company.
Can it block unwanted callers?
Yes. You can list blacklisted numbers, and the program will ignore or hang up on them.
Does it work while I'm dialing my ISP?
Yes. It frees the COM port for the dialer and resumes answering calls once you disconnect.
Can I try it first?
It is shareware with a 30-day trial.
Can it start automatically?
Yes. You can set it to run when Windows starts, so you don't miss calls.
System requirements
- Windows PC
- Voice modem
- Caller ID service from your phone company, for caller ID features
- Sound card, for playing recorded calls and messages