With today's communication labyrinth, the last thing we need is another bill to pay, box to check, interface to learn or button to push. Anything new that comes along needs to prove itself right away. Otherwise, we may just as well keep using what we have.

With this in mind, voice-messaging system Pinger has a better than even chance to succeed. It is free, and will remain so for all but the high volume users. And it uses familiar controls on existing devices. You presumably already know how to use a PC and a cellphone, Pinger only requires another step.

Pinger bridges the gap between voice mail and e-mail. It passes "unobtrusive" voice notes to either a PC or cellphone. When you send a Pinger, the recipient is alerted by a text message that provides a link to the voice message.

There is a voice "broadcast" service, the simultaneous transmission of the same message to different people. Company co-founder Joe Sipher said the program can't be used for marketing purposes (or to deliver those wonderful political voice missives that will thankfully cease in a few days).

"This is the only communications tool where you can send a message to people without bugging them," Sipher said. "This is a pure messaging system that takes elements from other systems to create a tight user experience."

This has a lot to do with the system's desktop links. You go online to change options, relieving the pain and stress caused by using a cellphone menu. Of most interest to an e-mail enthusiast, there is an inbox-style interface that manages sent and received voice messages. Again, this feature leaves the primitive cellphone voice-mail storage process in the dust.

There are still some misapprehensions. You can never depend completely on a free service, no matter what they say about a "sound financial model" they can always go out of business. And there is no recourse if the system fails. You will put up with a lot of inconvenience in a swap for services, but it's not always worth the price. This week my Gmail wouldn't load for several minutes, denying me access to a message with details of a scheduled conference call (with, coincidentally, Pinger).

Sipher acknowledges that people may be reluctant to incorporate another service but is betting that users will try it a few times and get hooked. There is no doubt that new technologies often annoy before they prove themselves, so Sipher hopes "the first Pinger that you receive will come from someone you know."

To sign up for the service go to www.pinger.com.

If you have questions or suggestions for Charles Bermant, you can contact him by e-mail at cbermant@seattletimes.com. Type Inbox in the subject field. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.

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