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Creative Applications for SMS?
Spinkle asks: "As the volume of global SMS traffic continues to grow at a staggering rate, new and more creative uses for text messaging are found. SMS text messaging is now achieving critical mass worldwide. Sites like Snifferdogalert
and Velocity (which, incidentally, cater to drug dealers and speeding motorists, respectively) are an illustration of the increasing popularity of the SMS facility. A culture change is taking place in the way people choose to communicate. Will the visual message become more powerful and popular as voice? What other creative applications for instant messaging are there?"
Was talking about technology in Singapore and the proliferation of SMS use there. Check out CC's website (specifically episode 1939) for more info. Some things I remember from the show include checking books out of the library (including libraries put in the mall, not just some dedicated structure near nothing popular with the kids), getting grades distributed and even ordering movie tickets in advance. With the whole SMS system for ticket purchase there was even talk of offering cut-rate pricing just before the show on remaining seating.
Wheeeee
There are currently millions of old phones which people would not be seen dead with. I don't own a working phone just pay per use ones which my friends didn't want. The cool thing is they still get free messages.
Anyway I did strip a philips phone and connected all buttons and I/O pins to a FPGA and microprocessor.
When the message comes in the ringer wire flips so you start driving the buttons to get the message. The message is the output to the LCD so i connect the lcd wires to the FPGA which latches the message.
There are lots of webstes that allow you to send free SMS messages. A bit of pearl and lego and you have yourself remote controlable car.
I can recognise when the message comes in but I still need to work on decoding the LCD screen by looking at the wires. For the time being the car drives on requests directly from the internet reather than from the phone.
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
upoc.com offers a free service that links together all of the propritary cellular text messaging in the US via a web interface. It also offers stuff like public groups.
Its not necessarily an IM thing, but a text-messaging thing.
-Turkey
-Turkey
I live in one of the NYC boroughs and on September 11th my phone service was gone, and cell service was practically gone as well (it was actually the first to go, and later in the day, I had to dial 20-40 times to get a call through)... Cell service was pretty bad for weeks afterwards.
SMS data packets are tiny, and can typically get through when there is little or no voice service. If it is available in your locale and with your provider, I'd suggest learning to use it (and making sure your loved ones know how to use it) -- in the event of a disaster, it may be the best form of communication with the people who are close to you.
-Turkey
-Turkey