I am still at the 'oooh, shiny!' stage with my HTC Desire which uses Android, so I am somewhat biased.

A search in the main source for Android programs (the 'Android Market') comes up with 31 results, some of which are duplicates (usually free and paid-for versions of the same program: you'll either be shown ads or have a reduced number of options with the former).

Typically, there are three main options:

Hang Up Call. This will 'answer' the call before you hear the phone ring and then immediately cut it off. This will prevent unwanted callers from getting to your voicemail. It may well also cost them money / one of their 'free' minutes. You may not see this as a disadvantage especially if they try several times before giving up.

Silence Phone. This will silence your phone for all calls from your specified numbers. If you have voicemail set up, they'll be able to leave messages.

Send to Voicemail. This will send your unwanted caller straight to your voicemail but will enable them to leave a voicemail message.

There is usually not a limit on the number of blocked numbers and, yes, text messages can be silently discarded too.

Without installing a few, I don't know how good their reporting is. The 'hang up call' option will leave a record in the phone's records unless the program actively stops that.

Some to have a look at:

http://www.afirewall.net/

http://www.a0softus.com/documents/ExtremeCallBlockerUserManual.doc

http://www.appbrain.com/app/call-sms-filter/com.easyfilter.android

http://sites.google.com/site/blackwhitesoft/

http://wahooka.com/

.. there are more.

I use call blocker pro on my blackberry, but it doesnt stop text messages. If anyone does know of an app that runs on blackberry to stop SMS also, could you please let me know x

I'm not very techy, so if i sound dumb, ignore me!

I think Blackberry runs on its own operating system, there are zillions of apps available for an iphone, but very few of the same ones are compatible with a blackberry and vice versa.

My call blocker works exceptionally well, it automatically hangs up on withheld or unavailable numbers and i can add unlimited numbers of my own. It can be set to reject all calls except blah or blah, the only thing it doesn't do is stop texts from numbers you have asked it to block ( TW's etc). I just ignore them, thinking they wont know if it got delivered or not, but it can be annoying when you get 5/6 a day from some plonker!.

I'I think Blackberry runs on its own operating system, there are zillions of apps available for an iphone, but very few of the same ones are compatible with a blackberry and vice versa.

Yes, there is currently a six-way war going on with Android, Apple, Blackberry, Microsoft, Palm and Symbian smartphones all being incompatible and unable to run software written for one of the others. Clearly, there are going to be fewer than six winners (plus at least two of that lot have competing systems themselves and I might even have missed out a contender or two!)

For call blocking you can rule out, say, Microsoft completely as they have got the Apple-like control freak bug. Call blockers need to run all the time and Windows Mobile 7 phones only let a few companies' software do that.

I obviously need to be able to keep the same number and I'd rather be able to use the same SIM card (Tesco Mobile) as all my numbers are already stored on it.

I know it's slightly off the topic, but can anybody recommend a phone for this? (I've seen a nice little Sony one  ) And how difficult is it to actually get hold of these call/text blocking features and install them on the thing yourself? Bear in mind I can barely change the ringtone without help on most handsets  .

My primary has recently gone from ancient Nokia to an HTC Wildfire running Android. Just plugging in the SIM got all the numbers off that. It will also get contacts from Gmail easily.

Installing Android programs is a case of pressing 'show me all apps programs', scroll to 'Market', press, find, enter 'call blocker' (or what ever else you're after: there are hundreds of thousands of programs, so searching by name makes sense), look through the list.

Pressing on one gives an 'about' page, with the ability to see other people's comments on it (as with escort reviews not all of these are necessarily genuine), then, if you want to install it, it's a simple tap on install, you see what the program wants to be able to do on your phone, 'OK'. It will then download itself, install, and appear in the list of programs.

The first time you pick something you need to pay for, there's a registration process.

Your biggest issue will be finding the usual hassle around changing phones: buying one with/without a contract, possibly moving the number between networks, etc etc. Which Sony?

Probably the X10 mini, with http://www.reghardware.com/2010/07/21/review_smartphone_sony_ericsson_xperia_x10_mini_pro/ or without http://www.reghardware.com/2010/07/05/review_smartphone_sony_ericsson_xperia_x10_mini/ a keyboard.

You'd be paying for smallness. Given the intended use doesn't include much screen usage (you're not browsing or doing email on it, for example) that may be ok. You'd want the one with the slideout keyboard though if you're going to do more than a tiny amount of text entry on it, but that looks to be a tradeoff: the one without has a better battery life.

I have a Desire, and it is lovely.

it seems like men are getting crafty with this thing. Men are no longer calling withheld...they are texting. I recently began a NO TEXTING rule, although at one point I used to bend it everynow and then for my more expensive ads...you know, the ones that expect the more mature, upscale clients?

Nope, if they are texting or calling blocked...90% of the time they are doing to hide their BULLSH!T. I found that out the hard way after numerous cancels/noshows from texters/block callers...I made 1 guy call me once, he turns around and asks to do me for $60, when my ad states $180. When I told him off up and down, side to side, and back around...he hung up on me. And no wonder he texted me from the get go. He knew I would BARK on his ass