Filed under: Software, Wireless
Forget SMS Mac 1.0: Use iChat instead
MacCentral has news of a new program for Mac, SMS Mac 1.0, which runs $10 per year as shareware with an additional $0.10 per message sent. I can understand the convenience of spending $10 to send SMS messages directly from Address Book (although if you have a Bluetooth capable phone you can already do this), I guess, but $0.10 a message sounds like a complete and total rip-off, as you can do the same exact thing for free via iChat. Here's the MacOSXHints post that talks about this. Simply launch iChat, choose File-->New Chat with Person... and type in +1 followed by an SMS capable cellphone number instead of a AIM/.Mac user name. Type away and click send. This has been a free feature of AIM since July 2nd, 2003.
UPDATE: Forgot to mention: this only works in the U.S. and Canada (according to the comments) and it will work via any chat system (Mac / PC / or other) that works over AIM.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
I too was really excited about the SMS widget...but the 10 cents a message totally turned me off.
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Thomas Mango said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
There is also that neat SMS widget for dashboard. I see myself using that a lot. I am an SMS addict.
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Thomas Mango said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
ouch, brian beat me to it!
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Justin said 2:01PM on 7-06-2005
Doesn't seem to work in Canada.
Does anyone know of the best way to do this from a PC? (if this doesn't work)
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Scott said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
I don't understand why Apple would select the SMS widget as a winner when it's at least somewhat well known that you can send text messages via AIM/iChat/Adium/AIM client of your choice.
Seems kind of stupid. Apple's probably just trying to wow the average user out there instead of provide a widget w/ some better functionality.
Average Joe: "Text messages from a computer?! wow!!"
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max said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
holy crap tha's awesome. I've been looking for a way to do this, it was there all along!
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Adam Michela said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
Very cool. However, since I already send about 250-500 SMS per day through GMail and AIM for completely free... $5 for 50SMS isn't worth it for a pretty phone widget
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holophile said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
Personally, I don't like the way it looks compared to the simple interface that they had showed when they won the widget contest.
http://developer.apple.com/macosx/tiger/dashboard/
I gather he's charging the .10 per sms b/c it all runs through his servers and these things cost money.
However, since widgets are built on open standards, I don't see why somebody can't create one that looks and acts the same, but communicates to the outside world through iChat.
It's just a matter of time.
I know I'm gonna be working on it!
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steve Bissonnette said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
correction: It definelty works within Canada. I use it to send my girlfreind SMS's from work all the time (she's on TELUS).
format has to be ... +1 (areacode) (number)
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Patrick Lemmens said 4:17PM on 6-16-2005
To those complaining about the cost of sending sms messages. You have to realise that in most of the world, except the US and maybe Canada (I don't know), the sender pays for sending the sms. In the US apparently the receiver pays.
So in most of the world it is perfectly reasonable to charge for sending sms messages through a service like this. And it is actually the right business model! Think spam!
As for Adam Michela who sends 250-500 sms messages a day.... what are you? A sms spammer?
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Omar Tirado said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I live in the U.S.A. I pay 10 bucks a month to have unlimited texting.. I use it for work.. for play.. I abuse it in my opinion.. but thats why its called UNLIMITED texting.. and you pay for it...
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ales said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I don't understand something. I upgraded to Tiger and now I am stripped of sending SMS message through the addressbook. Why would someone deprive me of this wonderful feature. Did anyone else notice it is missing?
In Panther, one would be able to open addressbook, connect to a phone via bluetoothe and then click the drop down by any phone number to get the option to send an sms.
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niji said 11:47PM on 8-18-2005
several comments:
1. i never knew about the sms to mobile fon in USA via iChat. stupid me and thanks for pointing it out.
2. while this is all well and good for people sending sms to the usa, there is an entire rest of the world out here you know: i live in tokyo. it costs, get this, 100JPY to send sms out to any carrier from japan. yes, almost 1US$ per sms. so, when the sendsms widget came out, i ofcourse bought in. its great. i still need it to send sms to china and hong kong etc, but to the usa, it will be iChat.
thnx
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Dennis Groves said 11:42PM on 8-18-2005
try this widget instead it is free and uses the contacts in your address book...
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff.ulicny/software/entertainment.html
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david van virden said 10:29AM on 8-21-2005
I am *wetting my pants* the ichat to sms feature is SO AWESOME and such a neat surpriese!!! I can't imagine needing anything else. The six digit number used as a reply number is super mysterious too!
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