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Palm/Cell
Phone Communications
(Part 3 - Sending/Managing SMS) |
If you don't have Javascript enabled,
there are HTML links at the very bottom of every page.
This page shows you how to use
your Palm/Cell Phone combo as a pager.
A.
What is SMS?
Short Message Service (SMS), is
part of the GSM digital mobile phone standard that is popular in Europe,
the Middle East, Asia, Africa and (increasingly) North America (who always do things a
little differently - non-metric measurments for example), and means this:
A single short message up to
160 characters of text in length can be sent from one mobile phone to another. Those 160
characters can comprise of words or numbers or a combination of both. Non-text based short
messages (for example, in binary format) are also supported. This latter example is
how people often transfer, for example, Nokia Operator Logos. Lots of people use
ASCII type abbreviations and emoticons in their SMS messages - especially if they are
fourteen.
SMS requires a SMS Centre - a
store and forward service a little bit like an e-mail server. Like e-mail, short
messages are not sent directly from sender to recipient, but via an SMS Center instead.
Each mobile telephone network that supports SMS has one or more messaging centers to
handle and manage the short messages. Cool. That means your mobile phone
operator will issue you with an SMS number: the number your phone dials to send/receive
SMS messages; again, a bit like an e-mail server POP and SMTP address.
SMS features confirmation of
message delivery and means you can use your phone as a pager.
Unlike paging, the sender of a short message can receive a return message
back notifying whether the short message has been delivered. WOW!
Even more cooler still, short
messages can be sent and received simultaneously with GSM voice, Data and Fax calls.
This is possible because voice, Data and Fax calls (see my previous page)
take over a dedicated radio channel for the duration of the call, while short messages
travel over and above the radio channel using the signaling path. As such, users of SMS
rarely if ever get a busy or engaged signal. NEATO!
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm
unit via IRdA' (top of screen)
B. What do I need to send/receive SMS?
To use the Short Message
Service, users need the relevant carrier subscriptions and hardware, specifically:
A subscription to a mobile
telephone network that supports SMS.
SMS enabled on your phone
(some carriers provide automatic access to the SMS, others charge a monthly subscription
and require a determined opt-in to use the service).
A mobile phone that supports
SMS. Like the bloody brilliant Nokia 8210. Go Nokia, its your Birthday!
Americans will have to find a carrier that supports the GSM standard used
by the rest of the planet. :-)
A destination to send a short
message to, or receive a message from. This is usually another mobile phone but may be a
fax machine, PC or Internet address. OH WOW MAN, that means I can send stuff from
my cell phone to a website!
Perhaps the main reason SMS is
not working for you using either your cell phone or your Palm and cell phone is that your
SMSC (Short Message Service Centre) number is wrong. Check with your carrier.
Doctor Salami even
provides you with a complete list of International Calling codes,
Cell Phone carrier codes, and carrier websites! Send those SMS messages to
everyone you know wherever they may be! Click here.
 
Click here to find the best prices on cell
phones and plans
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm
unit via IRdA' (top of screen)
C. What tools are available for the Palm to manage SMS?
As you'd appreciate, drafting
SMS using a mobile phone keypad sucks mightily.
Using Graffiti or the Palm Keyboard is much cooler (especially on the bus).
(Australian users will be
interested in http://www.mobilealert.com.au
for sending SMS over the Internet to a mobile phone
- there's a similar URL for the rest of the planet a bit further below)
SMS Manager as
part of Handphone by Smartcode: well, I can't add anything to my earlier comments on Phone
MGR (by Handphone) - great interface but no working IR connection (refuses to detect the
phone). As I've said, every other application I've mentioned here communicates with my
cell phone. SMS Manager appears to work far more reliably with Ericsson mobile
phones. Remeber, Smartcode (makers of SMS Manager) have disappeared! You can
still get this app. though.
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- PageNOW! Well, we'll wait and
see. But it looks good to me...
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- GSM Tool. Ummm....interface
needs improving! This application appears to have the distinction (based on
everything I've collected) of actually doing what it says it will reliably and
consistently. Maybe so: but consumers shouldn't have to pay US$20.00 for such a crap
interface.
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- FunSMS. FunSMS looks pretty
easy to use. All this Palm application does in facilitate the sending/receiving of
SMS Messages. I won't add much more as I haven't used it. Why? Becuase
the entire application and documentation is in German (an English version is 'due
for release soon'). STOP PRESS: English
version of FunSMS now available! And because of
that, this one may become my SMS application...excellent interface.
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- Monkey Messenger enables Palm
users to send and receive SM directly from the Palm unit. Appears to have quite a
similar interface to SMS Manager (Handphone). Go to http://www.primatesys.com and
see if Monkey Messenger is compatible with your particular mobile phone. You can
also use the MonkeyMail PQA if you have a Palm VII (or follow my instructions on how to
set up your Palm/Phone combo as a Palm VII)
. This PQA allows you to send SMS messages
from your Palm VII to a mobile phone. Currently it works with AT&T, Nextel, Sprint and
Pacific Bell. Note: the recipient must be signed up for SMS with their carrier.
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The Monkey guys contacted me
to (quite rightly) point out that their products work with Nokia 61xx
series mobiles; the most popular mobile in the world. Their competitors don't
. They state "We have a
simple interface for everyday use, and are appealing to the everyday user that owns
a N6100."
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- MultiSMS lets you send SMS
messages to multiple recipients (a 'caller group' if you like). In a group there can be up
to 32 numbers in the registered version, 4 in the unregistered. MultiSMS supports up to 16
groups of numbers. This version has an option to select either IR beaming or serial
sending by cable
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Internationally, if you want to send SMS messages to a mobile phone via the
Internet, try http://www.quios.com -
this site is quite well designed and will tell you immediately if your carrier is
supported. For those in Australia, type in the mobile number (start with 61 and then
the number without the leading zero), change the network to World: GSM and type the
message and click send (I know that Optus isn't supported).
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm
unit via IRdA' (top of screen)
D. Send Those SMSessesesss!
...go here for this sort of stuff (ASCII SMS
screen captures from Nokia phones):
  
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm
unit via IRdA' (top of screen)
E. Send FREE SMS to PC E-mail messages (in Australia)
Go to http://www.spectrum.com.au
Send your SMS in the form of
'EM' then 'adresseename@adresseedomain' then 'Your Message Text'
Send to 0402 235 323.
Cool, huh?
http://www.mobemail.com.au/
...is also worth a look.
Link for e-mail is at the top of the page.
FREE SMS to PC E-mail
(Rest of the World)
Genie Internet
Genie Internet works with
all mobile phone operators in the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe).
Once you sign up, they give you an e-mail address like this: yourname@sms.genie.co.uk so
when
some send an e-mail to that address, it shows up on your phone as an SMS. Cool.
Connectotel M-Mail
Andrews & Arnold
These companies will forward
your SMS messages to people via e-mail to the nominated e-mail address (Europe).
You send your e-mail with the e-mail address as the first word of the SMS message.
Total SMS
...will send you free news
via Genie (above)
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm
unit via IRdA' (top of screen)
F. Send Internet to Phone SMS
These sites provide free SMS
from the net to Australian mobiles:
http://www.blueskyfrog.com/
http://www.mobilealert.com.au/
http://www.quios.com/
(works only with Telstra - news and stuff FREE via SMS)
This
big link here takes you to a page that lists about 70 FREE SMS
numbers from around the world (and some other misc. Nokia stuff).
Return to 'Sending/Managing SMS with a Palm unit via
IRdA' (top of screen)
Please consider posting any questions you may
have to my Wireless
Palm On-Line Forum.
I answer lots of questions and this way,
others will be able to check for answers.
I am BLOWN AWAY by how
excellent that is!
And if I click 'Next', there's stuff on
BROWSING THE INTERNET ON MY PALM!
NEXT
A Wireless World
Awaits You...
YOU ARE HERE
WHERE THE 'NEXT' LINK (ABOVE) WILL TAKE
YOU
This is the MAIN INDEX to this series of
Pages
Don't Forget Dr
Salami's Other Palm Pages...
...a compilation of Frequently
Asked Questions
Free, free, free. Good, good, good. Load up your Palm!
NEW! Very short and to the point
Sync your Palm with your PC from
1000 kilometers away!
NEW! Doctor
Salami's Palm store
in association with Amazon.com
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- Your Gateway to all things Palmmy
Takes you to the Home Page
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