send & receive SMS

[netharam]

Hi, I'm back after a very long time. I need a fully functional application to send and receive sms using my nokia 3310 connected thro' a DAU-9p serial cable. I don't want to be connected to the internet, but send sms directly thro' my service provider. Is it possible? Pls. reply with good links.

Thank You in Advance.
netharam.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

I'm not sure what you a referring to as you mention the non-desire to be connected to the internet but then refer to your service provider? Do you mean your telephone service provider or internet?

If all you want to do is send text messages to another cell phone via your computer, all you need is one of many free services such as these (http://www.google.com/search?hs=RLy&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&q=text+messages+to+cell+phones&btnG=Search) in a Google search though I did not search them through for service available in India as the first two in the search are USA based. You may want to ask your local telephone/cable service providers for such if this is what you are after.

Ringtones and wallpapers are another matter I have not looked into yet.
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Edit:
Fifth link here (http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&hl=en&q=sms+through+computer&btnG=Google+Search) seems to be just what you were asking for :)
/edit

[Paul Komski]

There will be differences in different regions. You can send SMS using skype (http://www.skype.com/help/guides/sms.html) for example but I don't know of a way of setting up a PC-based send and receive messages. As FTT alluded it isnt quite clear exactly how you hope to access texting cellular telephony services by attaching your cell phone to the computer and without using any internet access.

[pangea33]

I have done a pretty fair amount of research on this subject, but more from an enterprise approach than what you're describing. Keep in mind that the method you're referring to is only suitable for low volume applications. Consider how long it takes to send a text message from your phone manually. I'll estimate something on the order of 5 seconds, which yields a max in the neighborhood of ~15000/day.

Here are a couple aspects I think should be mentioned. You'll be paying the standard message fee of your phone provider. Typically this is about $.10/ea compared to around $.05/ea using an SMS gateway provider. Most providers have a specified limit for data transferred in/out per month, even with *unlimited* plans. Additionally, make sure you're only sending messages to subscribers who have opted in. Since most people pay for each incoming message, they'll be quick to complain, and your account will be banned quickly.

I'm not familiar with this Ozeki software, the only of it's type I found, but it appears to allow messaging via a direct connection between your PC and mobile. It supports RS-232, bluetooth, and infrared connections, and has an API so you can integrate with a webserver and database. Price range for licensing is $550 for a single PC/phone connection, up to $3500 for unlimited use.

This just pays for the client software, and APIs. Money says you have to type every message by hand, with no database merging from scratch. You can, of course, purchase their after-market modules for an unspecified fee. Next option would be to hire developers to build applications on the API, but now you're tied to this proprietary software.

Ozeki setup guide: http://www.ozeki.hu/index.phtml?ow_page_number=154
Programmatically using the software via php/MySQL: http://www.ozeki.hu/index.phtml?ow_page_number=171
Supported Phones: http://www.ozeki.hu/index.php?ow_page_number=170

This site: http://www.developershome.com/sms/howToSendSMSFromPC.asp claims to tell you how to directly interface to the phone and use old-school modem commands like AT. You can write an application for this, but you'll have to learn some fairly advanced programming techniques, and decipher the SMS packet standards. Something that is not readily available for obvious reasons. Your application also won't be portable to HTTP SMS when you're ready, so prepare to cough up some more money.

Next option is to use HTTP SMS gateways, the most common method. This does require an internet connection, but eliminates most of the limitations inherent to other methods. This is accomplished by establishing an SMSC account with some wireless server, with prices typically ranging from $.05-$.08 per message depending on volume. This method is completely scalable though.

You can interface with these gateways programmatically using HTTP and SOAP, meaning a solution can be designed using something like ColdFusion or PHP connected to a relational database. Again, all you get are the APIs and service account for your money though. Still, if you're a programmer you'll be buying 10000 messages for $550 instead of some unproven software.

http://www.clickatell.com/brochure/pricing.php
http://www.clickatell.com/brochure/products/developer_solutions.php

There is another possible technique, but it would still require internet access, whether through your phone or the standard way. Most wireless phones can receive text messages via standard email. You just have to know the phone number and the naming convention of the service provider. For instance, T-Mobile receives at *phonenumber*@tmomail.com, and Verizon at *phonenumber*@vtext.com

Mark my words, that will go away very soon though. Providers know how the demand for text messaging has increased, and they're not going to continue to let a piece of the pie slip through.

Bottom line is that you might be kidding yourself if you're hoping to find a preexisting application for free. This technology is a hot button item with a lot of companies, read: CASH, and no one is "giving it away" right now. PCGuide members are not supposed to solicit business opportunities, so I'll just say that you should try to find a developer who has done his homework when it's time to find one.