Direct Line Takes You Straight to an Operator [Featured IPhone Download]
![direct-line Direct Line Takes You Straight to an Operator [Featured IPhone Download]](http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2008/08/direct-line.png "Direct Line Takes You Straight to an Operator [Featured IPhone Download]")
iPhone only: Inventive iPhone app Direct Line navigates automated phone systems to get you directly to an operator without having to sift through menu options yourself. To use it, just launch the app, tell it who you want to call (it supports hundreds of searchable companies), and let it take care of the rest. You can simply turn on your speakerphone and let Direct Line do its work. When the operator answers, you’re ready to go.
A lot of the time it appears to just stick with the old hit-zero-until-it-goes-to-a-human trick, but in most of my tests it worked really well. Aside from the convenience of going straight to the operator, it’s also just a nice repository of phone numbers for your utilities. The biggest downside: Direct Line will set you back $.99 from the App Store—so it’s not free, but it is definitely cool.