Great Computer/Cell Phone Tip
Tyler Sonier provides information on how to easily send an email message from any computer to a cell phone.
by Tyler Sonier: For Computer Applications Class
If you know the phone number and carrier of a cell phone, you can send a text message to that phone (recipient must have a text messaging account). They can also send you a message back. Costs: None on the computer side. On the cell phone side, normal text message fees apply. If their plans allow unlimited texting, then no fees will be incurred.
Alltel, use the Alltel site. Don't expect Verizon to deliver a
message to an Alltel phone.
Ways to do
this....
Verizon
Wireless
To send a text message using e-mail, send to number@vtext.com.
Replace "number" with the recipient's cell phone number. Include
the area code, but leave out hyphens. Here's an example:
17125556464@vtext.com.
You can also send text messages from Verizon's Web site. Visit
www.vtext.com and select "Send a Text" from the menu. Enter your
e-mail address to direct replies to your inbox.
T-Mobile
To text message from e-mail, send to number@tmomail.net. Replace
"number" with the recipient's 10-digit cell phone number without
dashes.
Otherwise, you can use T-Mobile's site to send text messages. Visit
www.t-mobile.com and enter your message.
Sprint
PCS
To e-mail a text message to a phone, send to
number@messaging.sprintpcs.com. Replace "number" with the
recipient's phone number. The process is similar for phones on
Nextel, which is part of Sprint. To message Nextel phones, use
number@ messaging.nextel.com.Like other service providers, Sprint
also lets you send messages from its site. Simply visit
messaging.sprintpcs.com for Sprint PCS phones or
messaging.nextel.com for Nextel phones.
Alltel
The general address is number@message.Alltel.com. Replace "number"
with the recipient's phone number. To send messages from Alltel's
Web site, visit www.alltel.com. You can enter your e-mail address
to receive replies in your inbox.
Other ways to send
text messages
You can also use Firefox to send text messages with a toolbar,
Watacrackaz AutoSMS. Replies may be read at the toolbar's Web
site.
Google
offers a similar
Firefox add-on—Send To Phone. It's designed to send Web page
text to a cell phone. However, you can use it for general messages
as well. First, highlight some text on any Web page and click the
Send To Phone button. A form will pop up including your selected
text. Erase the text and enter your own message.
Send To Phone is also built into the latest Google Toolbar. Google
Toolbar can be installed on Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Independent
companies
You don't necessarily have to use a carrier directly. Several
companies online will accept messages. Two are Text4Free and
OnlineTextMessage. They're similar to the carriers' sites. Enter
your message and select a carrier.
Text Grams are different: It reads the message to the recipient. It
offers 11 voices, four of which are in foreign tongues.
Furthermore, it places the call immediately. If there is no answer,
it will retry once.
Source: The Kim Komando Website at komando.com
