Answering machine - online puzzles

The answering machine, answerphone or message machine, also known as telephone answering machine (or TAM) in the UK and some Commonwealth countries, ansaphone or ansafone (from a trade name ), or telephone answering device (TAD), is used for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.

Unlike voicemail, which can be a centralized or networked system that covers, and mostly extends, similar functions, an answering machine is set up in the user's premises alongside - or incorporated within- the user's land -line telephone. Unlike operator messaging the caller does not talk to a human.

As land lines become less important, due to the shift to cell phone technology, and as unified communications matures, the installed base of TADs is shrinking.