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Callstation is outstanding; best answering machine for the $.
Have had Callstation about 5 years; including 2 upgrades. Except for one issue, performs rather nicely. I use it to filter out "junk" callers. The system settings are for the most part easy to setup. You need to understand a few things. For example: block out of area callers = means block calls that come up unavailable as their caller id. Which is different from block "blocked calls" which means that it will distinguish between caller id's "not available" vs people who intentionally block their caller id. I have a spare desktop, and set it up for the sole purpose of an answering machine, and casual surfing, separate from my laptop. Love the software, and would recommend it. (Not affilicated with call station. As I write this note, CallStation 5.3 is current April 2009) Don't believe it is shareware, you may trial, but it does have a fee. Worth every penny.
Pros: Ease of configuration; intuitive setup, a good help screen. Email support is outstanding. Personal greetings for as many people as you want.
Cons: It is difficult to find your "phone book", there is no button on the main menu to select your phonebook for editing. Instead, you can edit the current caller, or go to the phone dialer and then select your phonebook.