Texting from PC

July 18, 2009 6:51 PM

I want to text message from my PC and I'm not interested in international texting. Is there reliable freeware that doesn't need the carrier of the number I'm texting to, and doesn't load me or the recipient up with spam? I'll even pay for it, but I'm tired of going through my cellphone. Another question is, would the recipient and me get a text charge?
posted by CollectiveMind to computers & internet (16 comments total)

Skype comes to mind as a possible option.
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:03 PM on July 18

Google Voice will apparently be offering this as a service soon, and from the beta discussions, it looks like the SMS works well.

Like AwkwardPause said, Skype would be my first choice, though.

Unfortunately, the service I used to use is now defunct, but Jaxtr seems to be a good replacement. I'm personally wary about giving my mobile number out, but whatever works, eh?
posted by neewom at 7:30 PM on July 18

Using AIM and messaging to +1(phone number) seems to work for me! I believe the recipient has to reply and "accept" the SMS message if done that way, though.
posted by zer0render at 7:35 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]

2nding Google Voice as it does this expertly (got a beta invite last week and I love it so far). I had been looking for a solution myself, as I have a work-sponsored blackberry, and the plan has SMS blocked. Nothing has even tried to meet the need like GV, where you get an actual dedicated number (you can pick one in your own area code). As a Google Voice user, text messages are free. Your recipient will incur normal text charges, unless they are a Google Voice user as well.

Yahoo Messenger does it too, but it's not on the same level as GV.
posted by tdischino at 7:41 PM on July 18

You can also do it through Google Chat if you don't have Google Voice. It's a lab you have to enable, but it works. They will incur normal text message charges, you won't. It ends up looking like a regular conversation in Google Chat for you.
posted by brainmouse at 7:59 PM on July 18

@brainmouse:

The google chat SMS functionality was removed several weeks ago. I believe due to the GV beta rollout.
posted by tdischino at 8:07 PM on July 18

@tdischino its back now

You can also use any email address.
posted by lilkeith07 at 8:12 PM on July 18

A bit more information about your specific application would be helpful here; depending on exactly what you need to do, there are a number of services that might be helpful.

For example, you might check to see whether or not TextMarks meets your needs.

Another idea is to use Twitter. Twitter allows users to redirect certain types of messages to their phone as text messages.
posted by aparrish at 8:44 PM on July 18

Using AIM and messaging to +1(phone number) seems to work for me! I believe the recipient has to reply and "accept" the SMS message if done that way, though.

I've used this as well. It also works with Pidgin if you're signed onto an AIM account.
posted by musicinmybrain at 9:04 PM on July 18

Seconding AIM/Pidgin. That's what I use when I want to text from my computer.
posted by Deflagro at 9:12 PM on July 18

This is very, very easy. You don't even need Google Voice. You can do this for free via Gmail now.

1. Get a Gmail account if you don't already have one.

2. Enter the 'Google Labs' Settings menu (it's the little green beaker in the top right) and enable the 'Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat' option.

3. Type a phone number in the 'Chat' box and click 'Send SMS.'

Obviously, this is free for you; standard SMS charges apply to the person who receives the message. But you don't need to sign up for some fancy service, it's ridiculously simple, and it's easy to use whenever you want. (My biggest problem is remembering that the other person is getting charged, so I can't type out whole novels.) More info here.
posted by koeselitz at 9:51 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]

tdischino: The google chat SMS functionality was removed several weeks ago. I believe due to the GV beta rollout.

I never noticed that it was gone. But it works just fine for me.
posted by koeselitz at 9:53 PM on July 18

Is your recipient a Verizon customer? text.vzw.com is the Verizon site for sending text messages to their customers. You don't have to be a Verizon customer yourself or log in. I believe other carriers have that capacity as well on their websites, but I don't know if you have to be their customer as well.
posted by Piscean at 11:35 PM on July 18

@koeselitz

taking a look at the gmail user forums, It was removed apparently due to a bug, then was redeployed once a fix was released.
posted by tdischino at 12:27 AM on July 19

To build on Piscean's response:

You can use email to text to most all the major carriers. Text replies from textee hit your inbox.

More info here
posted by bottlerocket at 1:35 AM on July 19

Actually this site looks more useful.
posted by bottlerocket at 1:37 AM on July 19