Free SMS messaging with ICQ instant messenger (SMS Messaging in General)

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	SMS Messaging in General
Date:	11/01/01 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy SMS, Free

Disadvantages: Only from one computer

Until recently, I'd always tried to avoid ICQ. For those of you not interested, or knowledgable in computers, ICQ is an instant messneger program which enables you to "chat" with friends from all over the world in real time - very like SMS messaging in fact, but with a lot more bells and whistles.

But then a friend of mine told me that the newest version (2000b) enabled you to send free SMS messages all over the world!
well, I downloaded and installed the program immediately, and found to my surprise (and pleasure) that it was true!

You log onto the ICQ network (or register if you are not already a member, and membership is free), fire up ICQ (it's password protected) and enter some friends as "non-ICQ contacts" unless they are on ICQ too.

Simply enter their country, carrier prefix (i.e. their mobile provder code) and their number, and hit "Save". They appear as their mobile number, simply click on their entry and rename them with their nickname, or real name, and you're ready to rock.

Click on their name again, and select SMS message. A window pops up, and lets you type away on your computer keyboard. A lot of the message is already taken up with your ICQ nickname and ICQ number, but it's easy to delete these to give yourself the full 160 characters.

The downside is that your friends will not know who sent the message unless you sign it, but the upside is, if your friends just reply to your ICQ message, they also send for free!

Another downside is that if you are away from your computer, you cannot take advantage of this service because all your contact details are stored on your own computer, not centrally on the internet, but at least your ICQ is password protected which means that no-one else is sending SMS's on your behalf while you're away.

On a positive note, there is not advertising attached to your messages, and the software is free too,
so all you pay for is your internet connection!

I don't know how this works, or how annoyed the mobile network operators are going to be with the amount of free SMSing from the internet, but if you send a lot of SMS messages, and are sat near a computer connected to the internet all day, then I suggest you get ICQ installed at once!

There's a lot more to it than just free SMSing too!

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