text messaging | mysms blog

December 18, 2012

Our native Android tablet app is available!

Posted in mysms news by mysms

We’ve got exciting news for our Android users: The native mysms app for Android tablets has just arrived at the Google Play Store! You can now use all advantages of a native developed mysms app on your Android tablet.

mysms for Android tablet is here

Text conveniently on a larger display

Once you have created a mysms account on your phone, our brand new Android tablet app allows you to send and receive texts and multimedia messages on your tablet. All your messages are synced to the cloud and can be accessed from any web-enabled device. Enjoy the large screen and the full-sized portable keyboard for creating, sending and receiving free mysms friends messages or text via your mobile carrier (mysms Android phone users only).

Customize the settings as you prefer

mysms is optimized for landscape and portrait mode. In portrait mode you can choose whether you’d like to display the contact pictures or if you’d like to use a greater width to have a better overview of your conversations. You’d like to receive a different ringtone for incoming messages? No problem, you can also change it in the preferences.

hide contact pics in portrait mode

Manage your messages and send any file you like

It’s easy to forward or delete messages (just tap and hold them) and you can also send any file via your tablet. Moreover, if you’ve already connected your mysms account to Evernote on your Phone, desktop or web app, your messages will be saved in Evernote as well.

attach any file

Use mysms on any device

mysms is becoming increasingly platform-independent and is currently available for Android Phone, iPhone, Windows Phone, Mac, Windows, Chrome and Android tablet. Additionally, there will be some great news for our iPad users soon!

So, give it a try and download it now!

December 3, 2012

Happy Birthday, SMS!

Posted in mobile news by mysms

Congratulations! Text messaging celebrates its 20th birthday today. Hard to believe that it’s been already 20 years, when it was possible for the first time to send 160 characters via a mobile phone. Can you imagine living without text messaging? In this case you wouldn’t be able to send short updates when coming too late or arrange meetings without making a phone call. Text messaging makes us more flexible in our day-to-day communication. But how did it all start and what will be the role of SMS messaging in the future?

Let’s celebrate!

The origins reach back to 1984, when a Finish engineer started a discussion about the idea of a messaging service at a mobile telecom conference in Copenhagen. However, the first text message was sent on 3^rd December 1992 by the Vodafone technician Neil Papworth. “Merry Christmas” were the words he sent via the new transmission technology Short Message Service (SMS). These two words were the foundation for a service which people can’t imagine living without nowadays.

Texts or short messages (SMS) are a way of communication to exchange messages via mobile phones or from a computer to mobile phones. The word “short” stands for the maximum of 160 characters that could be used at its start. At the beginning text messaging was free of charge and mainly used to inform subscribers about waiting voicemails. As you can see on the chart, it took a while until texting became the most popular form of communication. From the first sent message in 1992 SMS traffic increased steadily up to over 8 trillion texts in 2012. Nowadays, every single user of a mobile phone is able to send and receive texts. And with the emerging trend towards using smartphones instead of simple feature phones (and the associated constant internet connection), new technologies like instant and OTT messages are becoming increasingly important. Just like with mysms friends, it is possible to transfer messages worldwide for free via data connection. In addition some implementations for the keyboard, like T9 or Swype have been relieved the handling of text messaging and made it more convenient over time. Furthermore, you are able to send even more than 160 characters and you could send them via any device nowadays.

When we started with mysms our goal was to bring the advantages of both worlds (SMS and instant messaging) to one single product. By using our app you can send not only texts via your mobile carrier, but also instant and multimedia messages (mysms friends messages) to other mysms users via data connection. In addition, times where you have to write messages on a small keyboard on your phone are also enhanced by the possibility to write texts and messages on your computer or tablet as well.

Despite the fast moving world of technology, texting is still the world’s most used form of digital communication, over 8 trillion texts are sent every year and it still connects more people than every other messaging service e.g. Facebook or Twitter. Moreover, text messaging has been proven to be as addictive as smoking cigarettes. We believe texting will continue to be popular in the future and will be endorsed by instant and OTT messages.

We are looking forward to congratulate the SMS to its 30^th Birthday.

June 6, 2012

The Top 5 Android Keyboards

Posted in apps, Just for fun, messaging by afeiner

It happens to everyone. You are on the go and need to immediately send a text message. However, you have no computer or tablet next to you where you could use your beloved mysms web app. There’s only one solution, you need to text on your tiny Android keyboard.
This can be a challenge and we want to ease your pain. That’s why we show you our favorite Android keyboards – one for every typing style.

Our Top 5 Android Keyboards

1) Standard ICS keyboard

If you are already using Ice Cream Sandwich you are one of the lucky. The newest Android version contains an improved keyboard. What’s changed? Try it and you’ll see. It’s a lot faster and typos occur fewer than ever. The keyboard now contains spellchecking a better autocorrect and text prediction.

2) SwiftKey X

You are not the fastest typer, but neither do you want to learn a new typing technique. In this case text prediction might be your thing. There are many apps that support this feature (even your standard Android keyboard), but only a few have focused on it and made it their main advantage. Above all, we recommend Swiftkey. Typing is very similar to your standard keyboard, but Swiftkey also gives accurate corrections and predictions. Also, SwiftKey learns your writing style. The more you write, the more accurate suggestions you will get.

3) Swype

Wanna try something different? Swiping has been very popular for some time now and it’s an interesting technique to try. Instead of tapping each letter separately, these keyboards let you drag your fingers across the keyboard to type a word. Swype is probably the most well known swiping keyboard and there are a few reasons for that. It is fast, easy to learn and has a huge dictionary. You will need some time to get used to it, but once you know how it works you will be blown away by your speed. If not preinstalled on your phone, you can get it on Swype’s beta page.

4) 8pen

Looking for an adventure? Then try 8pen. It’s a gesture-based keyboard and looks completely different to all the others that I’ve mentioned above. Letters and characters are arranged in 4 divisions around a central ring. To type a letter you start from the center and swipe to the character that you want. Then you draw a loop to the center. Getting started feels more like playing a game than typing, but it can be a bit challenging. However, if you’ve figured out how to use it, 8pen works surprisingly fast.

5) MessagEase

Open to another experiment? MessagEase is worth a try and quite different to the traditional typing style. The keyboard is organized in nine keys, each holding one of the most used letters and one (or more) secondary letter. The most used letters can be tapped as usual. To access the secondary letters tap the key and swipe to the side. Once used to it, you won’t be able to stop texting.

Are we missing your favorite keyboard app in our list? Just add your suggestions and thoughts in the comments!

March 21, 2012

SMS vs. Messenger: Why you should not have to decide

Posted in apps, messaging by afeiner

When browsing through Google play or the App Store, sometimes it seems to be a jungle out there. Yes that can be confusing, and yes it can take a while till you find what you are searching for.

In messaging there are two main groups of applications – SMS apps and instant messenger. I’m sure, if you know the difference between the two, browsing the stores will be a lot easier. But what if you don’t?

SMS vs. messenger - messenging apps on the rise

Messaging apps are on the upswing

A little history…

SMS (text messages) have been on the market for almost 20 years now. Despite being only a side product of the GSM standard in the 90s and slow growth in its beginnings, text messages have been on the rise ever since. Just to get an impression of what we are talking about – about 8 trillion texts were sent only last year and the market is still growing. For example in Germany sent messages increased by 11% last year compared to 2010.

So people love to text, but in times when communication tools seem endless that’s only half the story. Messengers have been on the rise too, starting with the introduction of web-based ICQ in the 90s. Now they are all over the market and have moved from the web to our mobile phones, take Whatsapp, Kik, Facebook messenger as a few examples.

What you need to know

Here are some more details you should consider before deciding what service or app is best for you:

SMS (text messaging)

Text messages are sent via your carrier’s network and are probably the most reliable way to send a message from one phone to another. However, using your operator involves costs and these can vary widely depending on your home country. SMS messages only support sending of text – no videos, files, pics (unless you want to send MMS which are generally more expensive). Also, texting is fast and what is more, it’s universal that means you basically can reach every other mobile phone.

(Instant) Messenger

Instant messenger also have their benefits. They are fast too. As the name suggests, messages are sent instantly. Multimedia is supported and the programs themselves are often free of costs or only have a small annual fee. Messages are sent via the Internet, and not via your mobile carrier. But don’t forget unless you use WIFI your carrier is still involved – this time by providing you with a data package. One other downside of messengers is that every contact you’d like to message, needs to use the same program or device and has to be online.

The perfect couple

Probably you know what I’m about to say. Both have their pros and cons. Why should you have to decide? I think you shouldn’t. Whatever is best for you at the very moment when sending a message, this should be your choice. So if you’re abroad sitting in your hotel room with WIFI, use instant messaging. And if you send birthday wishes to your granny who doesn’t have a smartphone, send a text message. Not one or the other, but a combination of the two is the perfect solution. That’s exactly what we believe in. With mysms we merge texting and instant messaging into one single tool and automatically select the option that works best for you.

Hope that helps you a little when you trying to find your way through the jungle next time 😉

Sources:

mobithinking.com, crn.de

March 7, 2012

Why use Cloud Services? What is in for me?

Posted in cloud services, messaging by Lisa Leitner

The terms “cloud”, “cloud services” and “cloud computing” seem to be everywhere these days. Everyone talks about it, everyone uses it, everyone is fascinated by it, but who really knows what the cloud is and – more importantly – why one should use it?

I. The cloud and its advantages

Generally, the term cloud derives from the cloud drawing that used to symbolize the Internet itself. The connection between the cloud (as we use the term nowadays) and the Internet is obvious: cloud computing refers to managing your data via a third party network, hosted over the Internet. In a nutshell, cloud services basically offer you a hard disk on the Internet.

The Cloud - accessible from all devices

How you can profit by that? That’s easy – you can benefit big time! Cloud services offer you great advantages compared to your local data storage space:

Accessibility

Using a cloud service, you can access your data from all your devices. In practice this means that you can have your private and work-related documents, family pictures, videos, music etc. with you at all times, wherever you are. So, if you meet a friend in a coffee shop, you can show him your holiday pics on your tablet. Or, if you’re on a business trip and forgot an important document, you can access it via an external computer. Awesome, right?

Convenience

As all associated services are fully managed by the provider, you don’t have to care about anything. You don’t need any additional physical device (like an external hard drive), only some kind of end device (which should not be a problem in times where the number of mobile devices nearly exceeds the world’s population) and access to the internet . Also many businesses have discovered this advantage. It’s for sure one main reason why the percentage of enterprises using cloud computing is about to rise from 36 % to 52 % this year.

Affordability

Especially now that hard disk prices rocket upwards and the economic situation cries for cost saving, the low prices of cloud services come in handy. Several businesses reckon they can cut costs up to 20 % a year. Also, there’s a rumor going around, that there are some crazy providers out there that offer their cloud services for free ; )

Ample storage space

Your storage space in the cloud is elastic. Meaning that you can alter the size of the storage space you need at any given time. Unlike using a hard disk, which is full at a certain point, you can expand your “online storage space” anytime.

II. Cloud services on the market

There’s quite an amount of cloud services available on the market. Some offered by the tech giants Google, Apple and Amazon, others developed by innovative start-ups. However, there are several useful solutions for both, businesses and consumers. Here are some examples:

Traditional cloud services: Dropbox, iCloud, Google Play, Gmail, Calender, and Picasa, Amazon’s cloud
Video cloud services: Netflix, YouTube
Music cloud services: Pandora, Spotify, Grooveshark
Social cloud services: Facebook, Twitter & Co
Note-taking and Task-management cloud services: Evernote, Wunderlist
CRM cloud services: Salesforce
Text messaging cloud services: ???

III. Text messaging cloud

Quite some time ago text messaging was a sole network operator business. None of these operators has ever cared about a text messaging cloud. They disregarded the benefits a service like this would offer their users. Fortunately these days are over! mysms recognized the opportunity and grabbed it. The mysms Cloud is a text messaging cloud which offers its users features that facilitate managing one’s messages enormously.

mysms' text messaging cloud

Accessability

All text messages are synchronized between all devices. This means that a user can access his/her text messages, images and files wherever s/he is, using any kind of end device.

Convenience

Additionally to the convenience of not having to care about saving or losing one’s messages, pictures and files, mysms comes in handy for users who are not bffs with their smarphone’s keyboard. The mysms cloud enables users to type messages on their computers.

Affordability

Talking about crazy – the mysms Cloud is free of charge.

Storage space

All sent and received text messages, pictures and files are saved in the mysms Cloud. No text message will ever be lost again. Furthermore, if you’re changing devices (get a new smartphone for example), your old messages go along with you – automatically.

All in all, I’d say that cloud computing is one of the greatest advantages today’s technology has to offer. For the end user it seems to be an easy-to-manage tool, which is great because that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. Some still haven’t recognized they are already using a cloud service (e.g. Facebook, Gmail), but will do soon when you help us spread the word. So, please share and let your friends know why they should use cloud services and what’s in for them!

Source: MSM Research

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