Cell C today announced the launch of its online dashboard called MyTools which promises to provide functionality similar to that of Google Voice to Cell C subscribers.<\/p>\n
The major difference from Google Voice is that it’s integrated into an operator, said Lars Reichelt, CEO of Cell C.<\/p>\n
Reichelt said that the intention behind MyTools is to \u2018convert mobile telephony into Web 2.0 experience\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cYou manage your phone like you manage the rest of your life,\u201d said Reichelt.<\/p>\n
The service provides subscribers with configurable call filters and voicemail greetings, as well as an online phone book and call history.<\/p>\n
Reichelt demonstrated an online dashboard where users will be able to set up call filters, such as blocking unwanted calls or sending them directly to voicemail.<\/p>\n
You can also set up custom voicemail greetings for different people, as well as listen to voicemail right from the site, Reichelt showed.<\/p>\n
Received voicemails are displayed in the call history which was updated in real time during the demonstration.<\/p>\n
According to Reichelt the service will further include an online phonebook which will synchronise over the air from any device. He explained that the feature won’t require a client application at all and should be available in six to eight weeks.<\/p>\n
Currently the online phonebook supports importing contacts from Outlook and CSV file, with Mac support in the works.<\/p>\n
The service was launched as a beta to the Silicon Cape community that attended the event in Cape Town. It is currently only available to those users and Cell C staff.<\/p>\n
Reichelt said that the reason for the limited trial was to ensure that the service would scale well, adding that Cell C would gradually add users over time.<\/p>\n
Existing Cell C customers can sign up to the \u201cVIP list\u201d for inclusion in the trial at cellc.co.za\/mytools.<\/p>\n