Where’d did my package go! SMS it to find out

Don’t you hate it when you have to send an important package and it needs to be there by a certain day? Worst of all you’ll be travelling so you won’t be able to reach your computer to see if it has arrived!

Ok, well maybe that’s just me, but UPS recently launch a service where you can track your packages via SMS. First you have to register online, and after that just send your text message! Shortly after sending you’ll receive a message back with the shipment status, date and time, shipment location, recipent signature, and tracking number.

Unfortunetly, this is only available in the Philippines, who is one of the leading countries in mobile phone usage. But look forward to the service coming to your country soon enough!

No more DUIs, try TWD!

More and more people now days are texting while driving, and this is by far less safe than out right talking on your cell phone while driving. At least when you’re talking on your phone, you don’t have to look at the phone and make sure the correct word went into the phone - you know it did.

Text messaging distracts the drivers, and many teens admit to texting while driving (TWD). While many admit it, they also know that it isn’t safe. Some even admit to going off the road and/or getting close to getting into a wreck. So, teens, just wait for the day that police will be giving out TWD voilations!

[An article about teens texting and driving]

Don’t get charged double or triple per SMS!

A man in Finland discovered that he was sometimes getting charged double, and even sometimes triple, for a text message that he sent. He noticed it after sending a single text message under 160 characters, that his bill recorded him sending two or three messages.

The problem: His provider treats an unusual character as a seperate message. Luckily, in Finland, this character is not a common one for the language.

To read more, check out: hs.fi

New great way to find the apartment of your dreams!

TextoRent.com is a new feature that assists people in finding an apartment via SMS. The way it works is simple: There is a broker and the client (you). Your broker will send you listings via SMS as soon as they become available that meet your specifications.
This way, you won’t have to miss out on the apartment of your dreams or any good listing that you might like. You can review them briefly on your phone, or check out the listings on the web for more info.

Sounds like a pretty good idea overall, but just isn’t something I’d do. 1) it’s only limited to the New York City area, and a few other large city in the area. 2) I’d rather not be interupted at work by all these text messaging coming in.
I think this could be a big hit, so if you’re checking out apartments in the New York City area, definetly take a look at this service and review it for us.

More info @ TextoRent.com

SMS + Schools = Positive? No way!

With all of the news going around about cheating via SMS in schools as well as phones disrupting lectures, you would never have thought that something good school and text messaging would come together for something useful. Well a company in the UK did just that, and it seems to be going over quite well.

txttools or edutxt is a service with passes along reminders and messages along to students and parents for school. The systems notifies you about school closures, rearranged sporting events or trips returning late, student-teacher conferences, training, and other important dates. It also will notify you about exams, the form you have to return for that trip, or the fact that you still have to sign up for the trip.

edutxt is already used by over 170 UK colleges and schools, and the number is only on the rise. edutxt is also easy to manage, and can be sent to one person or many. The SMS technology is on the rise, and this is a great advance for the service.

txttools also has services for hospitals and businesses, as well as many other features. To check out more, go to txttools website.

Fastap or T9? Survey says - Fastap!

Ever since Fastap has been introduced in 2004, text messaging has forever changed. More and more phones are coming out with 26 keys, rather than the usual 12, and there’s a reason behind that.

As many of you know, text messaging is convenient and has quickly become a huge buzz. With individuals sending out many text messages each day, they would like an easy way than the T9 input feature from the 90’s. Well Fastap came, and stayed, and the users that text haven’t stopped. Mobile users with Fastap tend to send twice as many texts than users without Fastap.

Are you ready for ads on your mobile? Well they’re here!

40 out of 50 brand name companies surveryed by Airwide Solutions said that they plan on advertising on cell phones starting in 2008, and in five years more than half of all the companies worldwide will be advertising on cell phones.

Sprint has been one of the first to say that they will begin running banner ads on mobile screens. Amp’d Mobile also stated that they plan to place ads for Herbal Essence shampoo on it’s video demand service.

Another survey said that 58% of Americans stated that mobile ads are a nuisance and that they should be prohibited. (So does that really mean 42% don’t think that? I don’t know who could like ads period!)
Just think of the way advertising will soon be: You’ll be driving by the ice cream shop and you’ll get a text messaging say, “Large cone $1.99. Today only!” Of course you’ll want to stop in and grab one, but think of where else mobile adverting could go.

[More from SJ-R.com]

Mobile providers are throwing out millions - give it back!

Don’t you always hate it when big companies throw out millions and millions of dollars, when they could just stop and do a little research to prove they’re idiots? Well this is just another case of not doing your research - kids, take note!

Providers are spending millions of dollars upgrading their services to better suit the customer. Good for us you’re thinking, but the services they’re updating aren’t being used as much as the ever popular text messaging! They’re updating their TV service, which has already proved to be a bust. Billions of people sent text messages, when only a million (?) watch TV on their phone - why don’t they see these hard facts?

Well next time your provider is going to raise their rates, thinking about what they wasted their money on, because it sure wasn’t to help you get better reception, as that seems to be the last thing they care about.

[Source talking a little bit about the matter: Mediapost]

Text messages not being sent in Pakistan

Apparently on the holiday called Eid in Pakistan, SMS’s messages weren’t being received. Users were getting the message “message sending failed”, that or the message was receive hours later.

People in Pakistan are sending text messages and ecards via SMS and MMS because it is much cheaper than actually sending a card by mail (you know, the one where the guy comes and picks it up and then deliveries it). Sending an SMS or MMS is usually more reliable as well, but maybe not when the phone provider is being jammed by all of them.

I just hope this doesn’t become a normal occurance around the holidays, especially since a few are nearing.

[Story located @ thenews.com.pk]

Text or phone your parents? Either way, parents like it!

A new report out from the BBC shows that parents enjoy the response of from their child, whether it’s a text message or a phone call. The report also indicated that parents would rather talk to their children, but the child would rather text their parents? (Honestly, isn’t that common sense? No one wants to talk to their parents, especially around their friends!)

The report also showed the girls are more likely than boys to SMS their parents that they are safe, as well as use text messaging for social purposes. (I think we knew this as well.)

Parents are giving cell phones to their children earlier now than ever, but parents feel reassured knowing that their children are safe and sound.

[For more info, click here!]

Pay for parking via SMS

A transportation authority in Italy has release a great new service that enable drivers to pay for parking via an SMS message. Not only does this service allow you to pay via SMS, you can receive an alert about when your parking is going to expire.

Drivers wishing to use the services provided by Atac must provide credit card or bank account info via their website before using the service.

And yes, this is only available in Italy through Atac, but you can bet your butt that it’ll be coming soon to a parking garage near you!

[Read more here.]

Still poking at your phone to text message? Try this!

Now that cell phones are getting smaller and smaller, it’s getting harder and harder to hit those tiny keys. Nuance Communications has released a new software specifically for mobile phones to eliminate having to poke at your phone. It is a mobile speech platform that translates voice into text.

Not only goes it do that, but it does much more. Users can speak natural queries to find ringtones, locate the nearest Starbucks, search the Web, or dictate a complete SMS or email, and much more. This is much better than other speech programs that are available, only allowing basic queries like “Call Sarah at work”.

Ok, so this sounds pretty cool, but is it fast? The answer is yes! So how fast? Well Nuance had a competition versus Ben Cook, the worlds fastest SMSer to put it to the test. Well, the Nuance software beat Ben and other SMSers hands down. To take a look at more info about the contest, click here.

[For more info about the software, visit Nuance.com]

The 9 use cell phone charger!

Nowadays everything has more than one use, but the cell phone charger was always just that. Well thanks to Athena Brands, Inc, the cell phone charger has much more than one use!

Ok, well maybe it’s not your typical cell phone charger, but it will charge your phone and thats what counts. Did I mention that this is the outdoors man (and woman) dream come true? Well anyways, it is! This device has a wooping nine (9) functions! It has:

1. A lantern
2. 15 red and white LED emergency flashing beacon
3. An AM/FM radio (I know, impressive)
4. 120 decibel siren
5. Night light (same as lantern, maybe)
6. Ultrasonic moqsquito repeller
7. DC charger
8. Mp3 cord
9. And of course, the cell phone charger!

But wait, so you’re camping in the middle of the woods and the lantern/radio/cell phone charger/etc goes dead, now what! No worries, Athena has thought of everything! More…

Is SMS part of the past due to it’s brother?

Well probably just not yet, but in a few years it may just be part of the past that you once knew. And who is its brother? VSMS or SVMS, or possibly better known as bubbletalk. Call it what you want, it is still the same thing - Short Voice Messaging Service.

It works the same way that text messaging works, but now with your voice. All of the options are the same - reply, forward, discard, etc - but now it’s a music to the ear (ok maybe not if your ex left a VSMS). Either way, VSMS will eliminate having to poke at the tiny numbers on your phone to send a short message to a friend.

So when’s this coming? Where it is available? Check out more at bubblemotion.com

SMS controlled irrigation system? Are you serious?

No, this is not a joke. Just when you thought SMS couldn’t go any further, it has gone just one step further - and I’m sure new ideas will pop up daily.

An irrigation system was recently installed at a sports field in Willoughby, Australia, the northern part of Sydney. The system is controlled by a computerized system, but if rain is in the forecast city officials can turn it off via a text message.
The system is called “Cloudmaster”, and has been installed at six other local high school fields. City officals said that Cloudmaster will reduce water waste by enabling staff to monitor and control irrigation from a remote location rather than manually changing the program at each site.

My question is, why not connect remotely with a PC? Wouldn’t that be the same exact thing, only you wouldn’t have to install this new irrigation system?

Anyways, article was found here.