Excuse Me, I Have to Take This Call

BlackBerry and iPhone apps vary from the helpful (i.e., reQall, a list-making and reminder app) to useless, yet entertaining (e.g., Bejeweled, the puzzle app for BlackBerry). Among the more lighthearted apps are phoney phone call apps, and one of the best is Fake Call, for BlackBerry. The purpose of Fake Call is to help get users out of dull meetings, lengthy lunches, or other awkward situations. Fake Call allows users to have an authentic looking and sounding phone call sent to their mobile device, providing them with a well-timed interruption.

BlackBerry’s Fake Call was developed by Toysoft Development Inc., and was released earlier this year. Costs range from about $3 to about $11 for similar apps. The app received a four-star rating from BlackBerry review and information site BBGeeks. The comparable iPhone app, Fake Calls, developed by Magic Tap, is available for 99 cents and, like the BlackBerry app, allows you to customize a fake caller’s name and number, the time of the incoming call, the wallpaper that appears, and the ringtone that plays for the call.

Productivity booster, or an easy way out? You can decide yourself by downloading one of the apps through the Apple App Store or store.bbgeeks.com. Sorry, I have to go; I’m getting an important call…