Get rid of an unwanted SMS by Ducking the SMS in your XBLOCKR
March 4th, 2011I updated in my last blog that we have brought out few new features in the latest version of XBLOCKR. We always thrive on the demands and legitimate expectations of our users across the globe. Hence, our feature updates are closely associated with what our users are expecting from us moving forward. This time we brought some exciting new features and some of them were in waiting for quite a long time.
The first and foremost feature was to assist our users get rid of unwanted SMS and text messages. Of late, there has been a huge amount of SMS spam, be it for marketing, promotion, offers or financial scam etc. I myself have witnessed that more than 50% of the SMS that I receive are either irrelevant or trying to sell something to me without me wanting them. I can imagine what would have been the situation with our users. This was the feature we intended to bring for quite some time but as you are aware we just did not want to give it out without a value proposition. We thought for many days before designing how it is going to work.
We stick to our standard terminology and instead of naming it SMS blocking we preferred to name it as Duck SMS. Our users are used to this terminology and that stands out clearly and registers in one’s mind in the first instance. Now, you can duck all the SMS that you no longer wish to receive in future. The beauty of the feature is that it not only ducks the SMS from a particular phone number but also from a unique ID that is not associated with any phone number. This facilitates you to get rid of spammers who use web based SMSC (Short Message Service Center) to blast SMS in bulk in no time. Such SMS comes from a unique ID and that has no mobile number associated with it. Yes, you can duck such SMS as well with ease! Isn’t it a cool feature?
How can you Duck a SMS?
We initially brainstormed internally to provide a real time SMS management feature like we did for the calls. Eventually, we felt that it may not be a good idea for several reasons. One of them being the usability aspects, it would be quite irritating to the users popping up a screen every time asking user what he/she needs to do with the SMS that has just arrived. SMS is a feature that just notifies user through a sound and is quite different from a call. Users are more attentive to the calls than to the SMS and hence, giving real time options during the call makes more sense than during the SMS.
We created one more list inside the Number List screen as “Ducked SMS Numbers”. Whenever you wish to duck a particular sender, just go to the Ducked SMS number list and add the sender directly from there. It will open up your Inbox and present you all the SMS you have stored over there. Just select the one you want to duck all the time and automatically that sender (irrespective of a number or an ID) is added to the Ducked SMS list. Isn’t it so simple?
There are few more options as well. You can duck SMS manually by adding a number as well. Duck the SMS for the senders by selecting them either from your Contacts or Call History/Call Logs.
What happens to the Ducked SMS?
You would wonder that your SMS is ducked successfully but where did it go? What if you want to retrieve it in future or want to read it as well in case you change your mind later on? Yes, there is a facility for this as well. Based on the platform your phone is running, there is a feature where you can view a Ducked SMS as well you can Un-duck a specific number or an ID from the Ducked SMS Number list and start receiving their SMS directly in your Inbox.
Upon receiving an SMS that is from the Ducked SMS Number list, neither it appears in your Inbox nor does it give you a SMS notification sound or an icon on your home screen. Isn’t that a great value add?
Unfortunately, there is sad news for some of you though not for all of you. Duck SMS feature is technically not supported on any of the BlackBerry phones. This is something BlackBerry has kept it as part of the highest standard of security wherein they do not allow you to access the SMS in the Inbox nor intercept it on its way. Well, the efforts are on and let’s see if we can work this out in future and give a big cheer to all the BlackBerry users.
Please watch out for the next blog wherein I will cover other additional features that we have introduced in XBLOCKR.
Your Android Phone is now ready for XBLOCKING!!
February 26th, 2011It’s been a long since I wrote the last blog for XBLOCKR. I am sure you all would be wondering what new things are with XBLOCKR and what progress it has made till date. Well, I have some really exciting news for all of you and I am sure that will cheer you up and cover up for the gap I have seen in writing the blogs on XBLOCKR.
The first news is that finally, we have launched XBLOCKR for Android phones. We were receiving number of requests from Android users on the availability of XBLOCKR on Android phones. This was always on the cards and finally we are happy to announce the availability on Android phones. You can download xblockr on your Android phones directly from your Android phone’s browser by typing http://m.xblockr.com. We now support 100+ Android phones on both the Android versions 1.6 and 2.x.
Our engineers and designers have been brilliant in shaping up the UI for Android phones, providing a closer look to the incoming call screen with that of the native screen. XBLOCKR options are provided as a horizontal scroll bar with bigger buttons making it as one of the best Android apps in terms of the UI design. You can easily avoid unwanted callers who take away your peace with promotional and marketing offers, proving it one of the best call managers on Android.
However, Android carries one technology limitation and that is something we could not overcome while engineering xblockr. Android does not allow us to divert the callers and hence, we had to stay away from the DIVERT feature for a while. This is one of the major reasons we delayed the Android version of xblockr by a couple of months. We wanted to give our best shot to provide DIVERT feature but eventually we could not do that. However, our efforts are still on in this direction to somehow get hold of the technology limitations to make DIVERT work.
But we have added few more features in xblockr that I am going to cover in a separate blog very soon. But one of the most desired one is blocking unwanted SMS and text messages. You can now get rid of everybody who bugs you with text message you are no longer interested in. Watch out for the next blog where I am going to explain the new features in detail.
Enjoy XBLOCKING on your Android phone!
XBLOCKR Presentation for Android
XBLOCKR User Guide for Android
Yes! You can get rid of the XBLOCKR Screen
June 23rd, 2010
Alright, so you are in love with the XBLOCKR’s phone management features. Yet, you do not want XBLOCKR’s screen to hog your mobile phone’s screen whenever you receive a call. If this is what is annoying you, be rest assured. From now on, you can disable this behavior from occurring by configuring your XBLOCKR settings.
Through the XBLOCKR settings, you can either disable all the features from appearing on screen or customize it to display only the selected features of your choice.
* Remember: Customizing these features through Settings only controls their appearance on the screen. They do not in any way disable the actual feature from running in your phones.
To disable XBLOCKR’s screen to appear, perform the following steps:
- Press Start–>Programs–>XBLOCKR–>Settings. The following screen appears:
The screen presents three tabs: Duck, Drop and Divert
- Uncheck the options that you want to prevent appearing on your screen for each of these tabs.
- Click Save to apply your settings.
Once you configure this, you prevent XBLOCKR from encroaching your beloved phone’s screen space. And trust us, we dont mind. 
Duck, drop, divert feature for unknown/private numbers
June 9th, 2010Are you a meek victim of unsolicited calls to your mobile phone? Do pesky telecallers puncture your privacy at the most inappropriate hour? Do most of such calls you receive are from private and unknown numbers?
Has all efforts on your part to curb this menace gone down the drain?
Well then look no further! XBLOCKR application introduces you to a new feature that would not just ward off unsolicited calls but also give you a greater sense of control on your own private life.
Now it’s your turn to negotiate the way you want with the unknown/private incoming numbers coming your way.
What is an unknown/private number?
Unknown/private numbers are those calls where numbers do not get displayed on your mobile phones. It means there is no caller identification for such numbers.
How does XBLOCKR help you deal with it?
You can duck, drop or divert unknown/private calls using the “ALWAYS” option:
- Duck Always: Allows you to disconnect the calls at that moment and store it in the Ducked Numbers list. Once it is stored in the Ducked Numbers list, each time you receive a call from an unknown or a private number, the call gets disconnected automatically.
- Drop Always: Allows you to pick the call and then disconnect it in a fraction of a second and store it in the Dropped Numbers list. Once it is stored to the Dropped Numbers list, each time you receive a call from an unknown or a private number, the call gets dropped automatically.
- Divert Always: Allows you to transfer the call to a third party number customized by you and store it in the Diverted Numbers list. Once it is stored in the Diverted Numbers list, each time you receive a call from an unknown or a private number, the call gets diverted automatically.
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Post Call Options:
At the end of conversation with an unknown/private number, the following Always options appear:
- Duck Always
- Drop Always
- Divert Always
When you select any of the Always option, XBLOCKR saves the number and performs the corresponding action.
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You can automatically avoid the caller next time onwards using this feature.
Manually Adding the Number
You can manually add the unknown or a private number to the Duck, Drop or Divert number list as well. Just go the appropriate list and select Add Unknown/Private number and the next time onwards you don’t need to worry about them.
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How does it change your life?
By handling your incoming calls with a personalized approach to different callers you take complete control of your time. Gone would be the days when you felt helpless or disgruntled with your situation. We assure you with this new feature of XBLOCKR, you will experience a deeper peace of mind.
Coming soon…
April 16th, 2010Awesome XBLOCKR videos…coming soon! Watch this space 
XBLOCKR vs iPhone
April 16th, 2010Q. Why can’t I use XBLOCKR on my iPhone?
Q. I have friends who are using XBLOCKR. Why can’t I? I use an iPhone.
Q. When are you coming up with XBLOCKR for iPhone?
These, and similar questions have been coming to us ever since XBLOCKR hit the scene. With thousands of downloads and hundreds of fans, it is natural that there be a significant number of iPhone users who wonder why this app is not available to them! After all, it’s the iPhone users who are most used to downloading apps at the blink of an eye!
Simply put, it’s like this, when Apple introduced its software developer’s kit (SDK), in 2008, it set a policy that developers cannot create applications that run in the background! With that one sweeping point they have dashed the hopes of eager developers and have denied themselves millions of amazing applications.
What are “background apps”?
A background app is “always running” but is not necessarily one that you are interacting with. For example- when you are using your computer and working with a program, there will be many applications such as anti virus etc which will be running in the background. They are the ones who make your computing experience richer!
Most new and innovative mobile applications would rest on some aspect of background processing.
But at Apple, it is not part of the SDK and the reason given for this hurdle is that background apps can impair the iPhone user experience. :-O Now that is something open for debate. Surely having an app like XBLOCKR only enhances user experience!!
Another pitfall is that, on the iPhone, there is no provision to have an application that overrides the functionality of the inbuilt Apple call management app.
XBLOCKR
One of the main reasons we love XBLOCKR is because of its response on the fly. No sooner does your phone ring that XBLOCKR is activated. XBLOCKR is a background app and gets into action each time you receive a call. Both these points – background application and overriding the call system work against getting XBLOCKR on to that iPhone.
We like to think there is hope though! With so much uproar over these restrictions, it is a matter of time before Apple realizes that they should open out their gates.
Up till then, continue to use XBLOCKR on any one of the 163 phones it supports and watch your iPhone bearing friends salivate!
XBLOCKR fans on Facebook- Thank Y’all
April 16th, 2010Yoohoo! We crossed 200 fans on our Facebook page! Thank you all!
Downloads on Airtel App Central go up to 1195!
April 16th, 2010Hello All!
I am so excited about this!Just two weeks since we went on to the app stores and the figures are astounding! Thank y’all!
For one they highlight the crying need for an effective call management system and for another the numbers show how well XBLOCKR is being received!
To get an idea of the numbers – here goes-
- 2000+ downloads in 8 days on Microsoft Marketplace
- 3000+ downloads in 8 days on Nokia OVI
- 2249 downloads on Freewarepocketpc in less than 10 days
- If you are an Airtel user, log into the Airtel App Store and get your copy right away!
OVI Update -
XBLOCKR S60 3rd Edition and 5th Edition now available at the OVI store! So all you people with the Nokia N series, E series and Touch screen phones, grab your XBLOCKR Lite from here
Remember you can find the entire list of compatible handsets here
And as always, keep visiting, keep commenting and take care!
Duck Drop & Divert- The New Language of Privacy
April 16th, 2010Welcome to the XBLOCKR blog!
You are probably here because you checked us out or have downloaded a trial version. Whatever be your reason, welcome!
And if you’ve already bought a copy of XBLOCKR, then congratulations!
XBLOCKR redefines tele-privacy and can revolutionize the way you work, respond and utilize your time. With its innovative options, you can Duck, Drop or Divert calls on the fly. Being compatible with the Symbian , Windows Mobile and Blackberry platforms, you can be assured of using it easily and effectively.
Remember the time, you wanted that Sunday to yourself? With no one disturbing your evening for a change? Or how many of us have had an “unavoidable” call interrupt a well deserved holiday! XBLOCKR addresses this precise need and gives you an array of tools to manage your privacy without compromising on your productivity, responsibility or reputation.
Check out its super cool features in this presentation video -
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You can download XBLOCKR from OVI (Lite version for Symbian phones) , Airtel App Central (Symbian, Win Mobile, Blackberry phones), Freewarepocketpc ( Freeware version for Win Mobile phones), Windows MarketPlace (Lite version for Win Mobile phones), Youpark (Symbian phones) or from here – XBLOCKR (Symbian, Win Mobile, Blackberry phones)
Buy XBLOCKR here- http://www.xblockr.com/
Download, use and keep looking out for exciting updates and additions here. Till the next time, I look forward to your comments about this neat little app!