Maybe it's just me, but I'm constantly getting calls from numbers I don't recognize. Now I don't think I'm alone in saying there are people out there I just don't want to talk to. Avoiding creditors and ex-girlfriends keeps me from answering a lot of calls. On the other hand, there are plenty of people calling that I want and need to talk to, and I can't afford to blow them off or hope they'll leave a message so I can get back to them. The bottom line is I need to know who's calling me.

Looking up a phone number on Google sometimes works, especially for people with land lines or businesses, but nobody uses a land line anymore. The problem is that there's no official directory for mobile phone numbers. The major cell phone providers with the exception of Verizon Wireless have a collaborative project in the works to create a comprehensive directory, but it's still off in the distance a ways. The other drawback is that it will be on a volunteer basis where customers will provide their own information and in turn can search the database. That means there will be a limited availability of numbers and therefore less odds your search will return anything. It might also mean users can provide whatever info they want, so results might not be accurate anyway.

There are some existing independent volunteer registries that operate on a similar basis like cellphonedirectory.com or nationalcellulardirectory.com. They can be helpful but share the aforementioned drawbacks of volunteer directories.

There are also sites available that don't require any information from you. In my experience they're pretty accurate and have a broad database. I've yet to do a search that hasn't turned up results. My favorites are www.cellreversedirectory.com, www.namefromcell.com, and www.reverse-white-pages.com. If you really need to find somebody or find out who's calling you these may be your best bet. Best of luck!