Get your mobile to supply a lying alibi

Ever wished you were somewhere else when your mobile rang? Or when were making an 'excuse' call?

Help is at hand. You can now download an audible alibi. SoundCover will provide background noise to back up your story, playing it in a continuous loop as you talk.

Traffic jams, heavy machinery, birds in the park and dental equipment will be heard in the background to complete the illusion painted by your words.

However, the collection of noises is eclectic, to say the least. Options include thunderstorms and circus parades. Fortunately, there is a facility to record your own, potentially more useful, alibis.

It's not clear if these sounds would cover, say, pub noises. Still, anything is worth a try.

The system was developed by two extremely devious Romanians from a company, Simeda, that is registered in Germany.

Their cunning becomes clear when you look at the additional facilities. You can assign a background noise to anyone on your address book - if they phone back, there it is, playing away, backing up your alibi.

And they have the cure for garrulous friends. Phone Ring 15s will imitate the sound of another phone ringing in the background 15 seconds after you call it up - you then make your excuses and 'answer' your other call.

Simeda has a range of other goodies for mobiles including; SMSXtender, for 'fun' SMS messaging to send fake/anonymous/flash messages, ActiveMatch, a location-based matchmaking application - get yourself an instant date by putting your photo and details on the system - although this doesn't seem to have been taken up by any service provider, and a number of more useful technical applications.

SoundCover is available for Nokia 7650 and 3650 phones and downloadable for €9.95 (was €14.95) from www.simeda.com.