Last month, Boston-based MobileSphere launched a 'straight-to-voicemail' service called Slydial that lets you leave a message for someone without having to run the risk of them actually picking up the phone and answering your call. Callers can either listen to a short ad and then do it for free, or pay 15 cents to skip the ad.

RCR Wireless News just reviewed the service, saying that it's a great idea and "works exactly as its supposed to." However, they also said that this is something you can already do for free, and without listening to an ad either: "Most carriers offer a 'backdoor' number that takes you directly to someone's voicemail. Also, most voicemail recordings offer a 'send a message' option with the same Slydial process." Kind of takes the fun out of it.