The Text Messaging Service Revolution

What would we do without Google SMS? I find myself using it whenever I am traveling in an unfamiliar area, and this free service always provides me with the right directions. Whether I need to call a boat club in Sarasota or find the nearest fast food place, free answers are just a text away. Google's text service offers much more then directions, however. You can also ask for weather forecasts, airline flight times, dictionary definitions, and translations. I have noticed that the translation engine needs some improvement, but it is still better than anything else out there.

There are many other free and paid text services being promoted across the U.S. ChaCha and KGB are two popular question-answering services that have answered hundreds of millions of questions combined. SMS has also been an innovative new way for non-profit organizations to fundraise for natural disasters, presidential elections, and other causes. This has recently been publicized after the latest earthquake in Haiti. Cool text to screen services like Firetext let an audience at a concert display messages on the stage while the concert is going on. Just about every major service is releasing texting features to their users, including Twitter, Facebook, and eBay.

For the audience concerned about getting the best deals on local products and services, Text-Savings provides a free service that allows the user to ask for the best price on anything in their area. For example, a customer looking for a good deal on pizza in Tampa should text "cheap pizza 33630" to 52771. In addition to the texting service, Text-Savings.com also has a very easy to use online platform similar to other comparison shopping websites, but on a local level.

SMS is one of the fastest growing methods of communication in the world, but from a service standpoint is still underdeveloped and not being utilized properly. Services like Google SMS and Text-Savings are paving the way for people to freely take advantage of this technology.