What Is a Mobile Answering Machine?

Answering machines for standard stationary telephones, as in the case of landlines, are actual devices that record a person's voice at the end of the prompt. Unlike these devices, mobile answering machines utilize a centralized network system that allows users to exchange voice recordings in the form of messages. These voice messages are usually translated into digital data, which may be stored in a computer database.

The invention of telephones revolutionized the communication world. No longer did people have to rely on face-to-face interaction or the painstakingly slow postal service as they could reach each other by dialing specific numbers. Most technological developments experience a significant amount of advancement and innovation geared toward perpetual improvement. In the case of the telephone, one improvement came in the form of mobile phones.

Unlike a stationary and often cumbersome telephone, mobile phones utilize satellites to enable the user to travel and utilize a small cellular device as a telephone. This indeed revolutionized the telephone industry, allowing for people to use phones from anywhere. Being able to call someone from anywhere does not necessarily translate into reaching him or her, hence the importance of the mobile answering machine.

A mobile answering machine refers to a recording, either human or synthesized, that prompts a caller to leave a message for the person or place unable to answer. To compare, a landline answering machine acts to record sound. A cellular or mobile equivalent turns this sound into numerical data, which is then stored in a database potentially far away. This method allows the storing of a huge amount auditory data without taking up a significant amount of space, often saving companies money in the process and providing yet another reason why the mobile answering machine is often preferred.

A mobile phone user can access this data by proving his or her identity. Once this is verified, through a key code or password, the stored data converts back into the sound, or voice, in which it was initially stored. In this way, the mobile answering machine stores and releases voice messages for people in locations all over the world. The mobile answering machine does not need to exist as an actual object, so it is more convenient and provides freedom to its users. For this reason, most people prefer utilizing a mobile answering machine to its stationary counterpart.