DialMyCalls app automates group calling

A couple months back I told you about Mr. PhoneTree, an iOS-only app that can automatically call every person in a group and play a recorded message--a huge time-saver for anyone who manages, say, a soccer team or social group.

Although the app came with 25 call credits to get you started, you had to purchase credit bundles after that. If you're looking for a cheaper solution and have minimal automated-call needs, check out DialMyCalls for Android and DialMyCalls for iOS.

The app is buggy and confusing in places, and much more limited than Mr. PhoneTree, but it does have one ace up its sleeve: it allows you one free phone blast per week (up to 30 seconds long and to as many as 25 people).

DialMyCalls comes from the Web-based service of the same name, but obviously it's far more convenient to set up and launch an automated call on your smartphone. The process is fairly straightforward--record your message, choose the recipients, then send the message--but the app suffers from numerous annoying quirks.

For starters, I couldn't create a new account on my iPhone; for some reason the app rejected my Gmail address as "invalid." Fortunately, I was able to set up an account on, then sign into it on my phone. But the app requires your password every time you run it, with no option to remember it.… Read more

Study: Wired devices + tablets = digital nirvana






Attacking home automation networks over power lines

LAS VEGAS--Researchers at the Black Hat security conference here showed today how they could disrupt and snoop on home automation networks in residences and offices using devices connected to Ethernet networks that communicate via public power lines.


Regulation, automation, and cloud computing




Automated stock trading poses fraud risk, researcher says

An emphasis on speed and a lack of security makes automated trading in financial markets ripe for exploitation and fraud, a security researcher warned today.

Most stock trades in the U.S. and many around the world in general are now made by data-crunching computers that buy and sell stocks in microseconds--something that used to take human traders minutes to do. With these algorithm-based, high-frequency trades a fraction of second can be worth millions of dollars for an investor. (See CBS 60 Minutes report on this.)

In the push for greater speed and thus higher profits, security is sacrificed, James … Read more

How to automate your digital life


IfThisThenThat (IfTTT) lets you create automatically triggered actions based on a wide range of networked services. It … Read more

Phone-tree app makes calls so you don't have to

Are you coaching a soccer team? Hosting a party? Managing a mobile sales fleet? Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a way to quickly and automatically contact everyone involved, without having to make the same phone call over and over?

That's the idea behind Mr. PhoneTree, a new iPhone app that can call, e-mail, and/or text-message as many people as you want--and even request and track responses.

Think about it. You need to remind a dozen parents about soccer practice. You need to tell invited guests that the party has been moved to an indoor location. You want to let friends and family members know that the new baby was born at 8:53 p.m. and she and Mom are doing fine.

Mr. PhoneTree can handle those and other situations in which you don't want to call each and every person yourself. The app supports simple broadcasts, confirmed delivery (in which it keeps trying to connect with each person until it receives a confirmation), and even surveys (like asking people to RSVP for an event).… Read more

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McDonald's hires 7,000 touch-screen cashiers




