Paul Timmins wrote:
Is there an easy service where I can give someone my phone number and have them send me a data based message? One that arrives right away?
If your argument is that SMS is the easiest thing to use for this purpose right *now*, this *very* minute, I would have to agree that SMS is it. There are plenty of perfectly functional "send text messages for free!" type apps available for the iPhone, for example. But it takes 3 or 4 steps to use instead of just 1 or 2, and push notifications don't really work well. The carriers work extensively to pressure handset vendors to make sure it stays this way as much as possible; that is why it takes more steps than using SMS. SMS makes the carriers 10x more money per character or byte. My whole argument is based on the premise that this will change. Any business model whose claim to superiority is rooted in collusion concerning certain user interface choices is not a strong or long-lasting one. As soon as some handset vendor dares to come out with a phone that makes alternatives to SMS not suck, SMS is all but dead. I am arguing that this is inevitable, will happen soon, and for that reason investing in SMS-based services is a pointless waste of time. In many cases, it's important to ignore actual-day "reality" and prepare for what's coming, not what's here. -- Alex Balashov - Principal Evariste Systems Web : http://www.evaristesys.com/ Tel : (+1) (678) 954-0670 Direct : (+1) (678) 954-0671