Ovolab Phlink turns your Mac into a powerful answering machine and telephone information center. Widely used in the home, home office and in businesses, Ovolab Phlink greets callers with personalized greetings, plays caller-specific ringtones, forwards voicemail messages by email, logs incoming and outgoing calls, and much more. Ovolab Phlink can sort messages into multiple voice mailboxes, and email them to predefined email addresses - encoded in a highly-compressed format such as AAC or 3GPP (the latter can turn a one-minute message into a small, 60KB attachment). Your voicemail will reach you, anywhere in the world, by email! You can set up Ovolab Phlink to provide information to the caller, either through prerecorded audio messages or by using Mac OS X's speech synthesis.As an example, Ovolab Phlink can look up weather forecasts on the Internet and read them to the caller, or restart a server, and much more - thanks to the power of AppleScript and Ovolab technology. With Ovolab Phlink, you can create phone trees that callers navigate using their telephone's keypad. Phlink is also essential in the office, where it can announce callers and pop up dynamic information about the caller every time the phone rings, by looking it up in a database or online. Ovolab Phlink gives a professional touch to your telephone line: it's a perfect choice for shops, home offices and small businesses, while it also allows families to make their telephone part of the digital hub.
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />The reviews you see here are pretty accurate. If you're facile with AppleScript and do not need tech support, the application generally works quite well.
The problem is that out of the box, there are numerous users with difficulties. I have had trouble with getting Phlink to hang up the phone reliably, and most recently find that the program hangs every week or so, necessitating a backup answering system as calls would otherwise be missed.
Tech support is spotty at best. There is a online forum, and helpful suggestions are offered, but notice that there are numerous complaints on the forum about the lack of support from the developer.
Now that PhoneValet is available in a considerably cheaper version (I think it's only $50), I think it's worth considering which product to get. I won't be upgrading to Phlink 4.0 for $40 until I have some answering regarding support for the product going forward.
Complete Desaster at least
willibauer_dotmac
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />with 10.3 phlink2 was killing my server - ate all CPU load.
Now I have to pay about 80 $$ to upgrade software AND hardware for usage with the actual OS. This is rubbish! A commercial desaster for me.
Works for me.
johnray
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Although I've had some minor problems with some of the plug-ins, I too have to say that the product has worked exactly as I wanted for YEARS.
I use many of the features like custom caller menus, home automation integration, custom ringtones, etc. and the software "just works." My biggest complaint would be that it doesn't run as a service, but since I have several other packages that also have to run under an active account, it isn't causing me to lose any sleep.
While I haven't looked at Phone Valet, I can say that the "openness" of this package makes it perfect for anyone who wants to write custom applications that interact w/ their phone. If you can write Applescript, you'll have no problem making this bugger jump through hoops for you.
Works for me.
johnray
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Although I've had some minor problems with some of the plug-ins, I too have to say that the product has worked exactly as I wanted for YEARS.
I use many of the features like custom caller menus, home automation integration, custom ringtones, etc. and the software "just works." My biggest complaint would be that it doesn't run as a service, but since I have several other packages that also have to run under an active account, it isn't causing me to lose any sleep.
While I haven't looked at Phone Valet, I can say that the "openness" of this package makes it perfect for anyone who wants to write custom applications that interact w/ their phone. If you can write Applescript, you'll have no problem making this bugger jump through hoops for you.
Great package!
jwrigley_dotmac
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I don't know why others have had issues with Phlink, but I have it set up at home and my business, and it is great!
It certainly does as it says - it makes your landline phone a part of your digital hub.
My favourite feature would have to be the ability to have the software email you a copy of any messages it records - very handy, also very cool :)
Lousy or inconsistent product support
Stan Ford
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Once these people get your money, you're pretty much on your on. You'll get a faster response using carrier pidgeon than email. Would be a great product if it worked consistently, but it has more issues than Britney Spears.
After all a total mess
willibauer_dotmac
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Having used that product since over two years it went unstable this year: sometime the spoken text switched to annoying white noise. Support tried to help but seemed to give up. Now I own a product that produces white trashy noise when a phone call comes in. In other words: unusable.
Great when it worked, but not working with Intel Mac
mike cee
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I bought this program and loved it on my G5. When I switched to an Intel machine, Phlink no longer worked. I've tried the new, Universal Binary version, but that doesn't work either. Answers the first call, but wont' playback the message and keeps the line off the hood until Phlink is Quit. Hope they can work it out, it was a very nice program, but now performs much worse than a $20.00 answering machine.
I submitted two requests for support from Phlink but have not heard back from them. I will update when they respond...
Fast bug fixing
missia
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />Great! Your support his not only very efficient, but also quite fast.
phlink 3.0
missia
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />good job!