TrueCall is an innovative nuisance call blocker and has launched to coincide with its appearance on the BBC's Dragon's Den.

Love or loathe the entrepreneurs that make up the judging panel on Dragon's Den, they do know a great idea when they see one - which is why a bidding war between the five Dragons erupted over this: a simple white and silver box that sits between your telephone line and your home phone and stops you from being bugged by pesky sales calls and worse.

• WIN - a TrueCall nuisance call blocker

Incidentally the winning Dragon was telecoms expert Peter Jones, who took a 12.5 per cent stake in TrueCall Ltd - the company which invented the gadget.

So how does it work?

TrueCall essentially combines a digital answerphone with a call screening service like the one offered by BT, which enables you to accept or reject certain kinds of calls, kick callers over to the answerphone or simply answer the phone in the usual way.

Its secret, partly, is that it enables you to set up Zap and Star lists - effectively black and white lists of numbers you either want to block (Zap) or to receive (Star) automatically.

In addition, TrueCall also includes a Shield feature that can stop certain kinds of call being received altogether - anonymous calls, calls from automated diallers, and so on - the kind favoured by telemarketers, international scammers and fax spammers.

You can even setup a Night Shield - so you don't receive telephone calls between 11pm and 7am.

Setting up TrueCall is straightforward: you simply plug your home phone into the TrueCall using a standard telephone line connection, plug the TrueCall's own phone cable into your standard BT socket (using an ADSL filter for broadband, as required) and then plug TrueCall into the mains.

You're presented with a series of flashing LEDs and an audible 'Ready' message, which is then followed around a minute later by a phone call from TrueCall that enables you to set up your answerphone message.

To get the most out from the TrueCall box you'll then need to call the box itself using the '*' and '#' keys on your telephone, from which you're given various setup options which initially sounds like your worst kind of call centre hell - "to change TrueCall options press 4".

Luckily you can speed up the process by using the menu guide in the manual, which enables you to jump to the option you want by pressing the appropriate button on your telephone's number keypad. And this is also where you set up things like your Zap and Star list.

In day-to-day usage the TrueCall benefits become pretty obvious, acting like a virtual butler for your calls, only putting calls through that you allow.

Handily, TrueCall also enables you to press the Star '*' or Zap '#' buttons at any time during a phone conversation to add the caller to the appropriate list - the Zap option is especially handy if you want to quickly end a conversation with a telemarketer and want their number blocked in future.

There are, however, a couple of caveats: Some of the key features of the TrueCall service - including the ability to Zap calls - simply won't work unless you've signed up to Caller ID or BT Privacy at Home (0800 800 150), which are available free if you're a BT customer.

You can also effectively stop many telemarketing calls yourself by registering with the Telephone Preference Service, which is also free.

BT also offers many of the call screening features that TrueCall does, without you having to buy a dedicated box. However at a cost of up to £7 per month for five Calling Features or more, BT's range of services will eventually prove more expensive in the long run.

Vonage, the US-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider, is planning to increase its UK presence with the introduction of the V-Portal box.

Many will be familiar with Skype or Tesco internet phones. But Vonage, one of the largest independent VOIP companies, aims to take internet telephony one step further – by eliminating the PC from the VoIP process altogether and transforming the home phone into a low-cost internet-phoning magic hub.

Complex setup process

One of the problems currently facing the industry is that internet telephony is perceived as too complex. While the benefits of cheap calls and an extra phone line certainly sound attractive, many potential users feel it is too difficult to set up and so simply don't bother.

This is where Vonage appears to have done its homework, by making its retro, CD wallet-sized box a real cinch to set up.

Boxing clever

Poster-sized fold-out instructions with colour-coded diagrams are always going to be a winner for setting up. Sure enough, within four connections and less than five minutes later, the V-Portal box was sitting comfortably next to the home phone.

The only problem occurred when it couldn't find the internet. Fortunately, the V-Portal box boasts a built-in LCD screen that helps with installation, troubleshooting and diagnostic issues.

So a simple 'unplug the blue cord and plug it securely back in again' message was all it took to fix it.

Why can't more devices come with helpful little hints on an orange LCD, rather than forcing you to rifle through the troubleshooting section?

Easy viewing

Other than that, there's not a lot that needs to be said about the box. The screen comes in really handy for retrieving missed calls, accessing your directory and alerting you to waiting voicemails.

In some respects, the V-Portal is like a very basic mobile phone. By scrolling through the menus, you can turn 'call divert' on or off, block anonymous numbers, or even access weather or traffic phonelines.

The other advantage is that you can run two phone lines off the same box, with a choice of country calling codes to affix to each. Then, when the box is moved between countries, you can take the number with you.

This could be a useful feature for location-based businesses.

For those who prefer to only call domestically, it will only cost £6 a month to do so, which is far better than many fixed-line price plans.

Naked broadband

What will really help bring this type of device to the fore is the introduction of naked DSL, broadband that does not entail paying for a phone line as well.

If that were ever to happen, and Vonage is lobbying strongly for it, there would be very little reason not to use the V-Portal.

The Actiontec VoSky box might not be produced by Skype, but it's the type of kit the VoIP giant needs to be producing to shed its software shackles.

Not everybody wants to be at their PC to make Internet calls, yet although this box does enable you to use your telephone, you'll still need your PC turned on. Broadband and a Skype account are prerequisites.

This box connects to your phone line between your broadband splitter and your normal phone, and then to your PC via USB. No power source is required and you can make standard phone calls on your landline as normal.

It's easy to use the handset with Skype calls - install the software and log onto Skype. Assign short dial numbers to your Skype contacts, connect to the box, key in the short-dial number and you'll be connected. Alternatively, if you have a SkypeOut subscription enabling you to make normal phone calls over Skype then you can just key in a phone number.

If you're a Skype convert but hate being tied to your PC, it's perfect - especially with a cordless phone - but it isn't as slick a solution as the DUALphone (£62 from www. expansys.com ). This digital cordless phone enables you to look up your Skype contacts on the phone and make phone calls.

Dial the box

You're also able to 'dial-in' to the Call Center from another phone so you can make Skype calls wherever you are. You achieve this by specifying the number of rings before the box chips in, plus a three-digit password. If you try and Skype someone while they're offline, you'll receive notification when back online, but your PC still needs to be on for this to happen.

VoSky produces a slightly cheaper unit called the Internet Phone Wizard (£36) that offers most of the functionality of the Call Center without the ability to dial-in from any phone. However, if you use your Skype account often then you'll find the ability to dial-in from other phones useful. Dan Grabham