Free Text Messaging Is Possible
New York Times blog: Pogue's Posts
...There are lots of ways to get free text messaging.
We gave my daughter an iPod Touch for her 11th birthday and she uses a free app called TextFree. It gives her Touch its own phone number, so she can send and receive text messages without paying a cent (when she’s in a Wi-Fi area, which she is almost 24/7). She uses it constantly — I’ve never felt so in touch with my own daughter! — and it doesn’t cost a penny. There are many other free-texting apps for the iPhone/Touch, too.
I’m also a big fan of Google Voice, which is finally open to anybody. (It spent a couple years in an invitation-only phase.) It has a million great features, which you can read about in my review.
Among all its other talents, Google Voice lets you send and receive free text messages. You can do that from your computer (an amazingly useful feature, actually) at voice.google.com. Or you can do it from your phone, using the Google Voice apps for Android, BlackBerry or iPhone. (The one for the iPhone is sort of a pseudo-app, but it works.)
I especially like the Google Voice option that lets you receive your text messages — and answer them — in your e-mail program. How great is that? They become just like any other messages in your In box, except they’re going to the sender’s phone. This, too, is free.
So cheer up, Jen. Once again, technology shall provide.
New York Times blog: Pogue's Posts
...There are lots of ways to get free text messaging.
We gave my daughter an iPod Touch for her 11th birthday and she uses a free app called TextFree. It gives her Touch its own phone number, so she can send and receive text messages without paying a cent (when she’s in a Wi-Fi area, which she is almost 24/7). She uses it constantly — I’ve never felt so in touch with my own daughter! — and it doesn’t cost a penny. There are many other free-texting apps for the iPhone/Touch, too.
I’m also a big fan of Google Voice, which is finally open to anybody. (It spent a couple years in an invitation-only phase.) It has a million great features, which you can read about in my review.
Among all its other talents, Google Voice lets you send and receive free text messages. You can do that from your computer (an amazingly useful feature, actually) at voice.google.com. Or you can do it from your phone, using the Google Voice apps for Android, BlackBerry or iPhone. (The one for the iPhone is sort of a pseudo-app, but it works.)
I especially like the Google Voice option that lets you receive your text messages — and answer them — in your e-mail program. How great is that? They become just like any other messages in your In box, except they’re going to the sender’s phone. This, too, is free.
So cheer up, Jen. Once again, technology shall provide.
