It is the type of situation that most college students dread: the awkward, I don't want to see you again phone call after a first date gone wrong. But now, students everywhere might just be in luck.
A new technology called Slydial, launched in late July by MobileSphere, allows users to skip the uncomfortable conversation. All the caller has to do is dial 267-SLY-DIAL and then the 10-digit phone number you wish to call.
After listening to a short commercial from one of the company's sponsors, the caller is connected straight to the voicemail of the unsuspecting recipient.
And the service is free ' well, sort of. Long distance charges apply for those who would normally be charged by dialing the 267 Pennsylvania area code.
So what does it mean for a person to be able to skip out on uncomfortable conversations without having to actually face them? Convenience ' not to be confused with being a coward, said Rima Patel, marketing manager for Slydial.
Slydial gives you a chance to say what you want to say without being caught up in the drama that a normal conversation can sometimes bring, Patel said.
It is almost custom made for college students
she added.
Users get a chance to deal with a boyfriend or girlfriend, call off work or get back to an old friend without risking a lengthy conversation, phone calls Patel thinks might otherwise go unmade.
Slydial might not have been the first to offer straight-to-voicemail services for callers, but it offers the unique ability to reach people on any network. With more than 200,000 users thus far, Slydial and its patent pending technology seems to have struck an interest in callers everywhere.
Some students seem to agree with the convenience of being able to skip the small talk.
Recent Ohio University graduate Ashley Freed agrees that Slydial could be useful in a situation when you are in need to return calls quickly, although she can see how some may think it is taking the easy way out in more personal situations.
Personal situation or not, OU senior Kelsy Perry says it is tempting to use, but she would still feel a little uneasy about using Slydial.
I don't like confrontation either but sometimes avoiding confrontation makes it worse she said.
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Sandi Hensel
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Photo illustration by Rosemary Fleming & Francesca Wagner
New cell phone technology allows callers to have direct connection to voicemail
