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Silica 1.2

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(1) 4.75

Caller ID with Address Book integration. Free

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Greg Weston

Silica is a lightweight heads-up Caller ID display that leverages the internal modem and Address Book to let you know who's calling without having to look over at the phone.

What's New

Version 1.2:

More robust phone number lookup.
Custom call handling via AppleScript.
Minor bug fixes and efficiency improvements.

Requirements
PPC, Mac OS X 10.3 or later, Caller ID capable modem and Caller ID service.

Dialectic

+1
Shareware $25

System-wide address book menu ...
Phone Amego

+1
Demo $29.99

Multi-featured phone ...

Silica User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 1.x:

(1)

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Overall:

(1)

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+14

MacEricG commented on 21 Dec 2005

Not to be pushy to someone who produces software for free, but here's a thought: Why not make Silica able to speak the incoming caller's name?

[Version 1.2]

2 Replies

Greg Weston (developer) replied on 12 Jan 2006

Consider it on the to-do list for 1.3.

Greg Weston (developer) replied on 12 Jan 2006

You can, by the way, accomplish the same thing with a call handler script through the scripting interface that was added in 1.2.

Anonymous reviewed on 24 Oct 2005

Fantastic app!

Can i ask if it works trought an airport extreme with modem?
Thanks.

[Version 1.2]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 24 Oct 2005

It doesn't. The only device which see's the ABS modem as a modem is the ABS itself. Everything else attached to the ABS just sees it as an IP connection.

Anonymous reviewed on 13 Oct 2005

Fantastic Application! I was going to buy phlink for this same feature... but was able to get it with this app for free. I'm using a rev b 20" iMac and it works great.

Here's a couple feature requests
- a widget to display call history
- if a name doesn't get a displayed, a look up button to query a yellowpages website (hopefully that works in canada too)
- a button to add a number and name into the address book.

[Version 1.1.2]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 14 Oct 2005

1. You know, I've been trying to think of an excuse to write a widget. Good odds that'll be in the next release.

2/3. The major problem with buttons to react to the current call, if you're asking for what I think you're asking , is that I'd have to make the window interactive which means it would capture at least mouse clicks and possibly keystrokes and that might be a bit problematic.

I can easily see item 3 being a checkbox in the prefs, though. If a call comes in with a name attached and the number can't be found in AB, make a new entry, probably as a member of a group set aside to hold such auto-created entries.

The yellow-pages lookup is more of a concern. I can't imagine it being reliably fast enough to be useful for the current call. Maybe I'm wrong; my imagination has been known to be limited from time to time. If you write to me directly - support link is in the help and the about box for the app - we can work out the details of getting new features working.

Anonymous reviewed on 11 Oct 2005

The icon looks like someone sneezed on the screen! LOL!

[Version 1.1.2]

1 Reply

Anonymous commented on 12 Oct 2005

Wow. If you're sneezing hunks of rock, you've got bigger concerns than who's calling you.

Anonymous reviewed on 10 Oct 2005

Sorry, forgot to add my e-mail address. But myabe that's for the best, because I hate spam. Go here for contact info:

http://charlatan.blogspot.com/

[Version 1.1.1]

Anonymous reviewed on 08 Oct 2005

I wanted to answer some of my own questions (which others also seem to have) now that I've solved them.

Silica *does* work with Deutsche Telekom Rufnummernanzeige (caller ID) as it is -- you just need the right adapter, or Anschluss-Schnur. There seem to be about twenty different standards in Germany, and with each one the contacts from the wall plug correspond to different contacts on the square RJ11 adapter that plugs into the modem. Lots of them look like they ought to work, but don't. Once I found the right one -- it took no fewer than ten trial-and-error attempts with various adapters -- SIlica registered every incoming call accurately. I'll try to get the part number of the adapter and submit it to Greg for his compatibility page.

[Version 1.1.1]

1 Reply

dahacouk replied on 08 Oct 2005

Please submit part number to this forum.

Cheers Daniel

Anonymous reviewed on 26 Sep 2005

Still not working for me here in Germany. I have caller ID, or Rufnummernanzeige, through T-Net 100 (it's touted as one of the features of my service plan) but Silica 1.1 is unable to recognize any incoming phone call. I've checked and double-checked every possible setting. And no other application (i.e., Fax, Jon's Phone Tool) is competing with Silica for modem monitoring.

My modem info is as follows:

Modem Model: Jump
Interface Type: I2S
Modulation: V.92
Hardware Version: Version 1.0
Driver: MotorolaSM56K.kext (v1.3.2)
Country: 42 (Germany)

Can anyone help? I'm dying to get this to work -- especially now that Silica has Growl support!

[Version 1.1]

2 Replies

Anonymous commented on 03 Oct 2005

Im Zweifel liegt es an einer Inkompatibilität zwischen dem
amerikanischen Chipsatz deines Modems und dem deutschen
Telefonanschluß. CLIP in den USA und in DE funktioniert unterschiedlich.

Maybe someone find a solution, I'm also very much interested in it.

Anonymous commented on 04 Oct 2005

I have the same modem in my PowerMac Dual G5, and I have the same problem. Most of the time I get no response, but occasionally I get a "No caller ID data" message ever since I checked that box in the program setup. I have my Mac setup to display the modem status in the menu bar. On bootup, when you click the little picture of the telephone handset it always has a check mark next to "modem configuration". Silica never does anything when that is the case. When I click on the "internal modem" choice (it's one or the other apparently) instead of modem configuration, at least I start getting the "no caller ID received" message - but never a phone number. I think we need a new initialization string for this modem. The one on the developer's website (ATE0+VCID=1) that claims to work ... doesn't for me. I emailed the developer over a week ago but he hasn't replied.

Anonymous reviewed on 25 Sep 2005

0-for-2 now on making sure the demo code is out of the release. 1.1 is fixed now.

[Version 1.1]

Anonymous reviewed on 25 Sep 2005

I get every 10 seconds a call notify from "Noonan Jerry 08 606741003" :(

[Version 1.1]

Anonymous reviewed on 25 Sep 2005

To developer: could you be kind to confirm the following modem's compatibility and add it to the appropriate table (compatible/not compatible) on your modem compatibility page?

Modem Model: LastDash
Interface Type: USB
Modulation: V.92
SKU Name: UCJ
Hardware Version: 4.0
Firmware Version: APPLE VERSION 2.6.6
Driver: InternalUSBModem.kext (v2.6.6)
Country: B5 (United States, Latin America)

It's found in Powerbook G4 17" 1.5GHz, and others that were released in Spring 2004. Notice the LastDash vs. MicroDash which is listed as compatible in your table.

That would resolve all the doubletalk and uncertainities. Thanks.

[Version 1.1]

bmoraes had trouble on 25 Mar 2007

Hi,

does anyone got it working with the Apple USB Modem? Any tips on that?

Thanks, Bruno

[Version 1.2]

Jose Luis Benavente had trouble on 18 Jan 2007

I've been using Silica for a long time (maybe a year) in my eMac usb2.0 with the internal modem, and works great...

but now i'm trying to install on my old iMac 400DV, and i can't get the modem work....i think this modem isn't compatible with caller ID but i'm not so sure about it...

otherwise, the app is great and very unintrusive

[Version 1.2]

RyanH had trouble on 07 Mar 2006

I'm hoping this may do the trick for me. I was attempting to get an app working on my WinDoze machine to block unwanted calls via Caller ID without success. My iMac G5's modem supports caller id and I have Silica showing the caller information to the screen but I can't get it to call any script. I have tried even the sample scripts, but nothing. I am running OS X.4.5. Any ideas?

Thanks and looks great so far. If i get this working it is going to be worth a donation ;-)

[Version 1.2]

1 Reply

+322

MacUpdate Admin replied on 07 Mar 2006

Have you emailed the developer? He has an email addy on his site, see the 'feedback' link.

JJB had trouble on 23 Dec 2005

I am running Silica 1.2 in the UK (BT phone line) with the following system …

Modem Model: MicroDash
Interface Type: USB
Modulation: V.92
SKU Name: Euro
Hardware Version: 1.0F
Firmware Version: APPLE VERSION 2.6.6
Driver: InternalUSBModem.kext (v2.6.6)
Country: B4 (United Kingdom)

Mac OS X 10.4.3
Dual 2 Ghz PowerPC G5

I have set Silica to us Internal Modem / ATE0+VCID=1, but I just get "No Caller ID info received" when a call comes in. I know that Caller ID is working, as if I plug a Caller ID phone into the same socket the ID comes through.

Any ideas how to resolve this problem?

One other tiny point - is there a way to minimize the app so that it does not show up next to the Trash icon in the Dock?

Many Thanks, Julian

[Version 1.2]

1 Reply

Greg Weston (developer) replied on 12 Jan 2006

As noted inthe trouble-shooting document included with Silica, the most likely problem is simply that the modem you're using only supports one of the several CID protocols in use (which is the case for almost all modems) and your phone service provider is using a different protocol. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about that.

As for the minizing thing, I'd think most people just wouldn't have the front-end running unless they were actively interacting with it and would quit when they're done. You should be able to hide it via the normal means, such as by option-clicking elsewhere on the screen.

Dahacouk had trouble on 07 Oct 2005

Hi Greg,

It would be really great if Silica 1.1.1 worked for me. I'm in the UK. Have you found anyone in the UK who this works for? Actually, I'm subscribe to Vonage over in the UK. I know caller ID comes through because it shows up on my phone.

The modem seems to be working fine dialing out. It even recognizes that there is a call dialing in but it just reports "No Caller ID info received".

Any ideas? Modem details:

Modem Model: Dash2
Interface Type: USB
Modulation: V.92
SKU Name: Euro
Hardware Version: 1.0F
Firmware Version: APPLE VERSION 2.6.6
Driver: InternalUSBModem.kext (v2.6.6)
Country: B4 (United Kingdom)

If it helps I'm running OS X 10.4.2 on the following:

Machine Name: Power Mac G4
Machine Model: PowerMac3,6
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (3.2)
Number Of CPUs: 2
CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
Memory: 1.5 GB

Many thanks for your effort.

Cheers Daniel

[Version 1.1.1]

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Downloads:5,839

Version Downloads:3,188

Type:Internet : Internet Utilities

License:Free

Date:23 Oct 2005

Platform:PPC

Price:Free

Overall (Version 1.x):

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Silica is a lightweight heads-up Caller ID display that leverages the internal modem and Address Book to let you know who's calling without having to look over at the phone.

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