Text Messaging Madness (cell phone question)

[boba world]

So it looks like all of a sudden I can send/receive Text messages from people on Cingular & Verizon even though I am on ATT. When did this happen?? Any explanations??

[g222leav]

Originally posted by boba world
So it looks like all of a sudden I can send/receive Text messages from people on Cingular & Verizon even though I am on ATT. When did this happen?? Any explanations??

have you not seen those weird Mlife billboards...?

got to http://www.attws.com/ enjoy...oh yea, if you're on att and you have the right phone you can be on aim at the same time too. i used it a few times, it's kinda fun...a b**** to set up but fun nontheless

[Blu]

It happened about 2 weeks ago. I got a SMS from Cingular saying that I could send to anyone. My buddy can now send me messages from his Verizon phone too. I don't mind. Now if only they would get those cool phones from Asia/Europe over here...

[Speedfreak]

Originally posted by Blu
I don't mind. Now if only they would get those cool phones from Asia/Europe over here...

Ya, why do they always get them first. Test them on us, damnit. :)

[Blu]

/me wantum color screen!

[boba world]

whew! Thanks guys... Just got back from Europe so that explains being out of the loop!! So it looks like I might actually fork out the extra $$ to pay for the text messaging.

By the way... how handy is the mobile AIM?? Is the interface easy to use??

[ribitch]

i have been able to send SMS messages to anyone for the longest time now. It even works when i'm off of my home tower. I get the weather and all detroit sports scores sent daily.

[brain]

Cross carrier messaging has been quite common now. I believe most carriers have the capability to do it. It does have some quirks though. When I receive messages from non-Verizon customers, the full mobile number does not always display. As for phones with color screens, I decided to get rid of my Audiovox Thera. I use the phone too much to only have an 8 hour standby time.

[brain]

Originally posted by boba world
whew! Thanks guys... Just got back from Europe so that explains being out of the loop!! So it looks like I might actually fork out the extra $$ to pay for the text messaging.

By the way... how handy is the mobile AIM?? Is the interface easy to use??

The mobile AIM for AT&T is pretty weak. It doesn't have a good interface and it costs money everytime you send an IM.

[CornMonkey]

Originally posted by brain


The mobile AIM for AT&T is pretty weak. It doesn't have a good interface and it costs money everytime you send an IM.

for me to POOP ON!

[g222leav]

Originally posted by brain


The mobile AIM for AT&T is pretty weak. It doesn't have a good interface and it costs money everytime you send an IM.

yea the aim sucks on att phones

[ribitch]

Originally posted by g222leav


yea the aim sucks on att phones

i believe its the same on all carriers phones. It seems like very few carries include txt messaging packages where you get so many free sent messages an dunlimited recieving. AT&T used to have a 5.00 plan that I passed up on awhile back where you could send 250 a month. I should have grabbe dit while it lasted.

[brain]

Originally posted by ribitch


i believe its the same on all carriers phones. It seems like very few carries include txt messaging packages where you get so many free sent messages an dunlimited recieving. AT&T used to have a 5.00 plan that I passed up on awhile back where you could send 250 a month. I should have grabbe dit while it lasted.

AT&T offers free unlimited incoming text messaging. As far as AIM, the Sprint PCS interface is much better than the AT&T.

[psycho-]

Intercarrier messaging:

it's been on-

AT&T since Feb this year
Cingular since May this year
Verizon Since April This year
Sprint PCS Since June

Tis a sweet thing

[brain]

If you have the 5160 non-i model, it is not capable of outbound text messaging. If it is the 5160i, you are in the clear.

[Devhux]

Part of the reason why Europe/Asia gets all the cool phones first, is that their cell phone networks are generally standardized on GSM, versus in North America where we have GSM, TDMA, CDMA, etc. Also note that there are 3 frequencies used for GSM (800MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz).

It also doesn't help that a few of the major manufacturers of handsets are based out of Europe/Asia (Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson, etc.)

[psycho-]

Originally posted by GuruX
Part of the reason why Europe/Asia gets all the cool phones first, is that their cell phone networks are generally standardized on GSM, versus in North America where we have GSM, TDMA, CDMA, etc. Also note that there are 3 frequencies used for GSM (800MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz).

It also doesn't help that a few of the major manufacturers of handsets are based out of Europe/Asia (Samsung, Nokia, Ericsson, etc.)

I don't see how technology hinges on the uptake of SMS. I would actually beg to differe and say that it SMS uptake is partially based on Mobile phone cost-per-minute usage. Compared to talking on the phone, SMS is actually cheaper in many countries. No other country in the world offers such pricing plans as we do in the US. Most mobile phone providers I've been on abroad don't bundle minutes on the phone plan. Also, it's always an issue of caller pays.

As for standardizing on GSM, I would beg to differ about asia. GSM was designed by a European consortium, and a superiority complex prevented CDMA market penetration (European Governments regulated against Qualcomm entry on the hopes that Ericsson's lawsuit against Qualcomm on CDMA technology would hold up in courts). At the point in the Mid-90s, when the EU heard about CDMA, they balked at paying an american company licensing; and at the fact that they spent billions on vastly and came up with vastly inferior technology (IS-136 based GSM). CDMA is 4x more spectrally efficient and many many times more effiecnent in call handling capabilities. Also, CDMA was accepted 2 years after GSM was in the ITU governing body, and the EU wanted to show the world who was ahead, so were in a rush to deploy a digital network.

In asia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea all have CDMA networks. Japan has PDC (IS-136/TDMA-based), Hong Kong and china has GSM (also IS-136 based). South Korea is the only country with a CDMA network. since CDMA is inherently packet data friendly, South Korea is coming out with some awesome CDMA handsets. Only as of recent have they ventured into the GSM handset market.

So, you wanna know how advanced a GSM phone is? Technically, it's as advanced as any AT&T TDMA phone.