10 Killer Texting Tricks

by Rick Broida

April 23, 2008 —

To many people over the age of 30, text messaging can seem like one of those
strange, complicated behaviors only teenagers understand. In reality, it's one
more great tool in your productivity arsenal, right up there with e-mail and
instant messaging.

In function, texting treads a fine line between those two communication capabilities,
essentially serving as a basic form of e-mail for even the simplest of today's
cell phones. Text messaging relies on a decades-old technology called SMS--Short
Message Service--that's used to relay brief messages (usually no more than 160
characters, equivalent to a couple of average-length sentences).

Teens typically use texting for trivial cell-to-cell communication ("WHERE
R U?", "AT THE MALL!"). But savvy travelers can leverage SMS
for a whole lot more. Let your thumbs do a little walking (over your phone's
keypad) and you can check flight status, update your calendar, track a package,
check your bank balance, and get driving directions to almost anywhere.

You don't even always need your thumbs: Some services let you send messages
and retrieve information using just your voice. Best of all, most of these text-messaging
marvels cost nothing to use--though you'll want to check with your carrier to
see how many messages (if any) are allowed as part of your monthly plan.

1. Remember Your Appointments and Schedule New Ones

Can't remember what time your next meeting takes place? If you're a Google
Calendar user, you can find out in a flash: Just send a message with the
word "next" to GVENT (dial 48368) and you'll get back the time and
details of your next scheduled event. Send "day" for a full list of
today's appointments and "nday" for tomorrow's.

Google Calendar also lets you add new events via SMS--and you can use plain
English to do it. For example: "Lunch with Joe at Panera Bread tomorrow
at noon." Shoot a message like that to GVENT, and Google
will add it to your calendar with all the appropriate details.

Finally, you can configure Google Calendar to send automatic reminders in advance
of an event. For any existing entry, click Edit Event Details, then Add a Reminder.
Choose SMS from the list of options, and then specify how far in advance of
the event the notification should arrive.

Before you can leverage Google Calendar's SMS features, you have to configure
it for use with your phone. In your Web browser, open Google Calendar and click
the Settings link, then choose Mobile Setup. Follow the simple cues to enable
cell-phone notifications, and you're all set.

Of course, Google Calendar isn't the only game in cyberspace. Services like
PingMe and Sandy
can deliver notifications to your phone and process new reminders that you send
from it. And Kwiry helps
you remember things you're supposed to do by routing text messages created on
your phone to your e-mail inbox.

2. Track Packages, Calories, and Cash

A number of Web services now offer alerting and information options via SMS
to help keep you in the loop. For example, are you dying to know when your newly
ordered MacBook Air will arrive? Forward your delivery-confirmation e-mail to
TrackMyShipments.com,
and you'll subsequently receive SMS updates on your package's status, location,
and delays (if any). You can also monitor your own shipments by sending its
tracking number to a special e-mail address.

If you're watching your weight, Diet.com can help you count your calories.
Text any major restaurant chain's name and menu item to DIET1 (dial 34381) and
Diet.com will shoot you back
the nutrition stats: calories, fat, carbs, and protein.

Quicken Online
can send you a text-message reminder when a bill is due, so you won't have to
worry about racking up late fees. Other Web-based money managers like Buxfer
and Mint offer even more
SMS-alert options: They can notify you of low balances, unusual spending, and
large deposits (such as a paycheck). You can even record transactions (great
for tracking expenses on the run) or request an account balance.

3. Compose Text Messages with Your Voice

Most people who hate text messaging do so for the simple reason that's such
a hassle to compose messages using a cell-phone keypad. You could always upgrade
to a keyboard-equipped phone like the AT&T Tilt, LG Voyager, or RIM BlackBerry
Curve, but even those models are "all thumbs" when it comes to text
input. Plus, it probably seems excessive to spend hundreds of dollars on a new
phone just for the sake of easier text messaging.

Instead, let your voice do the legwork--or fingerwork. A free service called
Jott will transcribe your
spoken message into text and deliver it via SMS to anyone in your contact list
(which you have to set up in advance on the Jott site). Just speed-dial Jott
from your cell phone, say the name of the person you want to contact, and then
start talking. (Remember to keep it short: Text messages can't be longer than
a few sentences.) This is also a much safer way to send a message while you're
at the wheel. (Note, however, that some states ban or discourage using the phone
while driving, or are considering laws against it.)

4. Get Driving Directions

If your phone lacks GPS and you need to find your way between points A and
B, let SMS be your guide. Before you hit the road, head to MapQuest
in your desktop browser and input your destination. Once the site generates
the driving directions, click the Send to Cell option and enter your cell number.
In seconds you'll receive a text message containing a link to turn-by-turn directions
for your route.

If you're away from your PC, tap Google
SMS for on-the-fly navigation. Create a new message with your starting point
and destination, then send it to GOOGLE (dial 466453). In return, you'll receive
Google Maps directions in one or more text messages (depending on the length
of the route). You can also get an actual map by texting "map" and
your location.

Need directions but don't want to take your hands off the wheel? Dial 800-FREE-411,
800-GOOG-411, or DIRECTIONS (dial 347-328-4667) for voice-prompted assistance.
State your starting address and where you want to go; all three services will
whip up directions and shoot them to your phone via SMS. Best of all, they're
free. You pay only standard calling and text-message charges.

5. Search Google From the Road

Google SMS offers more than just driving directions: You can text your way
to stock quotes, movie showtimes, currency conversions, and much more. The trick
lies in remembering the proper syntax to receive the information you want. To
access Google's glossary, for instance, your message should read "Define"
and then the word. Looking for a particular business in your area? Send the
business name (or category, such as "pizza") and the zip code or the
city and state. If you can't remember the proper format for a particular inquiry,
just send "help" or "tips" to Google SMS (dial 466453),
and the service will send you a cheat sheet.

4INFO offers a similar batch
of SMS services, but adds helpful extras like package tracking and a Wi-Fi hotspot
finder. You'll find fun stuff, too, such as jokes, drink recipes, and pickup
lines. You can also sign up for text-message alerts: 4INFO will send you the
game scores for your favorite teams, educate you with a word of the day, and
even deliver Craigslist ad updates (so you can swoop in the moment playoff tickets
go on sale).

6. Keep Tabs on Flights...

Jet-setters can also tap Google SMS and 4INFO for flight information. Just
text your airline and flight number to receive up-to-the-minute arrival and
departure times. If you'd rather have flight updates pushed to your phone, head
to FlightStats, sign
up for a free account, and then set up some Flight Alerts. The site will send
you a status report up to three hours before departure, notifications of any
flight delays or cancellations, and a notification when the flight lands (helpful
if you're on airport-pickup detail).

7. ...And Keep Tabs on Friends

Fans of Twitter, the micro-blogging service that lets others know what you're
doing at this very minute, will find SMS virtually indispensable for sending
and receiving updates. Start by configuring your Twitter account to support
text messaging: Click the Settings link and then click Phone & IM. Follow
the instructions to enable your phone, then set Device Updates to "on."
(While you're at it, click the Notices option and set "sleep" hours
so you're not bothered by new messages all through the night.)

To receive text-message updates from your friends and family, click the Following
link in your profile and set Device Updates to "on" for each person.
To broadcast your own updates straight from your phone, text your messages to
40404.

8. Transfer Files to Your Phone

Savvy users know that the easiest way to move a file between PCs is to e-mail
it to yourself. So why not take the same approach for transferring a file to
your phone? Unfortunately, it's not always that easy: Many phones balk at e-mail
file attachments due to size or format. And what if your phone isn't set up
to fetch e-mail anyway? Your only option is a traditional PC-to-phone connection,
which usually requires a special cable or a complicated Bluetooth configuration.

Enter Beam It Up Scotty, a free Web-based service that leverages SMS to send
just about any kind of file to your phone. Just browse your hard drive for the
desired file--document, photo, MP3, movie, or whatever--and then choose a compression
setting. Beam It
Up Scotty can automatically optimize video and audio files for mobile-phone
playback and can compress other kinds of files for speedier transfer.

Finally, enter your cell-phone number. Within a few minutes you'll receive
a text message containing a link to download the file straight to your phone.

9. Send Text Messages From Your PC

Suppose a text message arrives on your phone while you're sitting at your desk.
Do you really have to peck out the reply on the phone's tiny keypad? Not if
you know the recipient's phone number and carrier. Just fire up Outlook or any
other mail client and compose your reply like an ordinary e-mail. The trick
lies in knowing the proper way to address the message.

For example, e-mails sent to phones on the Sprint network must be formatted
like this: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com. To send e-mail-via-SMS to a
Verizon customer, use phonenumber@vtext.com. You can find a full list of carriers
and their text-message addresses at SMS
411.

If you don't know the recipient's carrier or can't remember all those different
suffixes, take a shortcut: Send your e-mail to phonenumber@teleflip.com. The
free Teleflip service does the legwork for you, routing your message to the
appropriate carrier. Whatever method you use, keep in mind that replies will
come to your e-mail inbox, not to your cell phone--which can be a good thing
if you're spending the day at your desk anyway.

10. Archive Your Messages

Need to save an important message for posterity (or a pending court case)?
In an ideal world, you'd simply connect your phone to your PC and copy the messages
to your hard drive. Few phones can do that out of the box, however. But the
free utility BitPim makes this possible for many models from LG, Motorola, Samsung,
and Sanyo. You'll also need a USB cable that's compatible with your phone; check
with the manufacturer (or eBay) to hunt down the proper cable.

To preserve only a select few messages (and avoid the hassles of software and
cables), check out Treasuremytext.
This free Web service archives and manages all messages forwarded from your
phone. Later, you can visit the Treasuremytext site to review your messages,
add notes, and organize them in custom folders.

Michigan-based writer Rick Broida has been covering the tech world for nearly
20 years. In addition to his contributions to PC World, he is author of The
Cheapskate Blog.

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