Mobile & Cell Phone Information

SMS 101 - Short Message Service Explained


Short Message Service (SMS) is a quick and simple way to communicate short messages via mobile phones, handheld devices, and increasingly even landline telephones. Commonly known as text messages, SMSes, or even texts the practice has spread rapidly throughout the world, evident by the fact that 500 billion such messages were sent in the last year alone. The practice has its popularity due in great part to its convenience and cost effectiveness. For example, a typical text message placed in the US at USD 0.05 per message is priced at just 10 to 20% that of a voice call. Such savings have made it the most popular form of communication in many countries, and the practice is quickly gaining in popularity in the United States as well.

This quick rise in American's usage of SMS is due in part to the publicity the practice received through television shows like The American Idol, where viewers 'texted' their votes in for their favorite singer. This initial exposure gave many Americans their first taste of the convenience and ease of use with SMS.

Texting involves using the keypad on a telephone or other device to spell out letters and then words. Then when a message is completed the writer sends the message, much like an instant message or e-mail to the recipient. While some devices now have actual qwerty keyboards the vast majority of SMS capable devices and telephones simply use the 12 key numerical keypad (0-9 plus * and #). By pressing a certain key in quick succession different letters are made. For example, pressing the '1' key once produces the letter 'a'. Pressing it twice gives the letter 'b', while three times gives 'c'. The other numbers (2-9) work the same way while the other keys (*, 0, and #) are usually reserved for creating spaces and punctuation. While texting does require a bit of initial practice, within a few minutes users are able to quickly spell out and send short messages.

Most SMS services such as those transmitted to a telephone, have a limit as to how many characters can be transmitted per message. This number can vary from service to service, however many allow for 140 or 160 characters. This limitation has caused users to develop what has become known as Txt Speak. These are a set of commonly used abbreviations and word substitutes that not only reduce the number of characters necessary for conveying a word or message, but also make SMSing or Text Messaging an even faster and more convenient process. For example, the number '4' is commonly used to replace the word 'for', and 'gr8' replaces the word 'great'. Some individuals also choose to omit spaces between words by using capital letters instead, such as 'TextingIsFun' instead of 'Texting is fun'. A relatively new phenomenon that many texting devices are now incorporating is Predictive text software. This gives your phone the technology to anticipate what word you are going to write even before you finish writing, drastically reducing the time it takes for you to text messages. For example, you may type the letters 'ste' and the software, which is built into the device, will have predicted the word 'stereo' for you.

SMS is a technology whose convenience and cost effectiveness have already made it an integral part of communication in many countries. In recent years, it has been more widely publicized in the United States and as a consequence its popularity is increasing quickly. This growth is not surprising, however, due to the many benefits that Short Message Service (SMS) brings to communication.

Jim Sherman writes about interesting topics such as SMS Call. Learn more at http://www.mobalex.com/products/smspage.html.


MORE RESOURCES:

Lenovo releasing mobile cellphone-laptop that 'could replace the major ...
Driver Headquarters (blog)
Lenovo announced that it will soon release a mobile device that will use both smartphone technology and the function of a laptop to transform the way people ...

and more »


FavStocks (blog)

Home Buyers: Mobile Search Real Estate Property through Mobile Cellphone ...
FavStocks (blog)
By Finance Trading Times on 03/13/2010 – 4:51 pm PSTLeave a Comment It is time to go hi tech, and the various real estate firms as well as rela estate ...

and more »


New York Times (blog)

Owe Someone Money? Just Bump Your Phones
New York Times (blog)
People have predicted the death of cash and checks for a long time. But there are certain transactions — like paying a friend back for ...

and more »


Sydney Morning Herald (blog)

Lara Bingle Love Affair Scandal Picture Found on Lost Mobile Cell Phone
Newsolio (blog)
... Bingle that set off a full blown tabloid media scandal was not distrubuted by him, but landed in the media after his mobile cell phone went missing. ...
Lara Bingle Mobile Phone MMS Photo Scandal DevelopmentsNewsolio (blog)
Lara Binge Bikini Model Picture Scandal HypocrisyNewsolio (blog)
Lara Bingle Shower Photo Controversy, Aussie Football Star in Hot Water for ...Newsolio (blog)

all 610 news articles »


Best Mobiles – A Blog for people interested in mobile phone features and cell ...
I-Newswire.com (press release) (blog)
(I-Newswire) March 18, 2010 - A new blog on mobile phones has recently been launched. This blog caters the needs of the online users who are interested in ...

and more »


Sierra Leone's Mining Accident Was a “False, Vicious and Wicked Propaganda ...
Standard Times Press
... some government officials, police officers and soldiers among others, I caught up with him on his mobile/cell phone at Rokulan in the Sanda chiefdom. ...



www.160by2.com
Naukri News (blog)
In India now the Mobile / Cellphone are the common man's thing. In India more and more people are using internet most of these represent the young Indians. ...

and more »


CTIA-The Wireless Association Statement on House Ways & Means Committee Mark ...
Business Wire (press release)
“While we understand why the amendment had to be withdrawn at this time, we are eager to get the MOBILE Cell Phone Act enacted as soon as possible this year ...

and more »


be Mobile to facilitate ministry service
Botswana Press Agency
GABORONE - The be Mobile cell phone bulk short message service (sms) shall facilitate information dissemination to the customers concerning the collection ...



Youth abducted, family receives ransom demand
Indian Express
“This morning, I received a call from Amit's mobile cellphone. The caller threatened to eliminate Amit, if I involved the police in the matter. ...


Google News

home | site map
© 2006