How to quietly answer cell phone calls during meetings

To answer your cell phone during a meeting or other group event without disturbing others, use a cell phone feature called "Delay Answering" or "Delayed Answer."

When your phone rings, you press the appropriate key to make the phone stop ringing and to play a short message for the caller such as "Please hold, your call will be answered in a moment." This gives you time to walk out of the meeting to take the call.

On the Motorola W490, for example, this feature is accessed at Settings > In-Call Setup > Answer Options > Delayed Answer. This model lets you record up to a 10-second "delayed answer" message.