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 .
Busy entrepreneurs cannot be at their desk twenty four hours... Read More
Some people purchase a cellular phone for emergency use only,... Read More
Downloadable Ring tones - The Latest TrendWhat can you say... Read More
The AARP, American Association of Retired Persons, ( ... Read More
The cellphone is truly a marvelous invention. It has had... Read More
The best money saving practice for buying new cellular phones... Read More
While cell towers actually started being built in the late... Read More
What is Mobile SMS/ Test Messaging?Mobile text Messaging, or Short... Read More
Is it safety? Is it security? Or is it just... Read More
Analogue is the process of taking an audio or video... Read More
Nokia cellular phone ? description.Nokia produces a large variety of... Read More
Cell phone accessories would include antennas, batteries, cases, faceplates, holsters,... Read More
Your next cell phone can be a stripped down model... Read More
You can now save quite a bit of money on... Read More
Instant Messengers are very popular on PCs, with the advancement... Read More
Switching cell phone providers allows consumers the opportunity to purchase... Read More
Camera cell phone by Sprint ? offer with a service... Read More
Best camera cell phone - description.Best camera cell phone is... Read More
As this security solution is not such a great idea,... Read More
Whether using the telephone for business or personal use, using... Read More
A lot of myths exist regarding as to whether the... Read More
Cellular phones and pagers are part of the "now" generation,... Read More
With the myriad of cell phone plans that are available... Read More
Cordless phone systems offer many features and are ideal for... Read More
Motivated by the events of 9/11 2001 and problems with... Read More
Camera cell phones are sweeping the nation! In fact, long... Read More
Once upon a time, decisions about telephone service were easy... Read More
First, there was the standard land line phone system; then... Read More
Please read the article and leave a comment with your... Read More
Mobile commerce is electronic commerce over wireless devices. Mobile commerce... Read More
Take a random tween, age 8-12, place them in front... Read More
You're never too old to have some fun. With the... Read More
With more and more people buying cell phones, it becomes... Read More
As an organisation, the use of SMS might seem too... Read More
The titanic developments in new technology have radically changed the... Read More
Each month, there are countless Americans who are faced with... Read More
Judging from the 9-11 hearings and many reports by first... Read More
International Terrorist and insurgents to detonate bombs to kill innocent... Read More
When people make international calls from their cell phones or... Read More
It's a country that speaks through its numerous murals and... Read More
1. What's the difference between analog and digital phones?Analog phones... Read More
Discounted Mobile Phone AccessoriesMobile Phones have become a part of... Read More
Cellular phones are an amazing modern convenience, but it can... Read More
The best money saving practice for buying new cellular phones... Read More
Short Message Service (SMS) is a quick and simple way... Read More
Every day, there are more new uses for the classic... Read More
Investments in shares of wireless technology companies and wireless service... Read More
Cellular phones are different from your land-line home phone in... Read More
Cellular phones and pagers are part of the "now" generation,... Read More
Prepaid wireless service and phone cards are a convenient, reliable... Read More
Cellular phones are used by millions of people in the... Read More
... Read More
The AARP, American Association of Retired Persons, ( ... Read More
It's hard to look back and imagine what we did... Read More
Cell Phones have become a mainstay for every earthling. Right... Read More
When the first cell phone arrived onto the market it... Read More
Okay, so we all know that you can change the... Read More
DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. Unlike analogue cordless... Read More
Reasons why someone would purchase a prepaid cellular phone.Prepaid cellular... Read More
Buying a new business phone system is one of the... Read More
Camera cell phone ? benefits.Camera cell phone is a great... Read More
Busy entrepreneurs cannot be at their desk twenty four hours... Read More
Using the Physical World as a Game Board. ... Read More
Camera cell phone by Verizon ? offer with a service... Read More
With the myriad of cell phone plans that are available... Read More
Downloadable Ring tones - The Latest TrendWhat can you say... Read More
Mobile & Cell Phone |