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The cost of sending and receiving SMS, also called text messages, is getting obsurd.  As Marguerite Reardon of Cnet points out: since 2005, the cost of SMS has doubled on all four major US telcos from 10 cents to 20 cents per message.

Why are the mobile phone service providers charging this much to send 160 characters of information?  Simple answer - because people are paying it.  So before you go griping about the big corporations and their practices, complain to your telco and refuse to send SMS messages.  This will be the only way we can get through to the Big 4 (Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and AT&T).

Sure text messaging is convenient and very popular in some circles (people under 25), but what is it going for us to say “enough is enough”.  Rather than use SMS, I suggest you look at mobile IM options.

For a while now the big 4 US mobile operators T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have been offering unlimited mobile plans.  Typically, these include a flat rate of $99 for unlimited calling to the United States.

Virgin Mobile has just entered the fray and raised (lowered) the bar by granting us a $79.99/month unlimited plan that goes further than the big 4 by offering Unlimited text messaging, IM, email, and picture messages.  This is similar to Cricket’s plan, however Virgin Mobile has a much more expansive network footprint.

Also, unlike the biggie telcos mentioned above, there are no contracts with the Virgin plans.  If you’re a heavy cell phone user, this Virgin plan should be on your radar.

Below is a paste of the entire press release:

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One factor that prohibits me from adopting SMS is the fact that it, as a data medium, is so expensive to use.  Twenty cents to send 160 characters to someone?  That seems outrageous.  However, in Europe and Asia, where voice calling is expensive due to voice tariffs, SMS is popular because in these areas it is a cheaper method of communication.  However, SMS is in drastic need of revolution to take it beyond text in this age of audio and visual media on our mobile handsets.

Enter Palringo, a fantastic mobile IM service that works on many mobile phones including Windows Mobile, Symbian, and now BlackBerry.  It supports many IM services including MSN, Yahoo!, AOL, and Google Talk/Jabber.

Rather than talk about the standard IM features Palringo has, what sets this service apart?  One cool feature they offer is Voice IM or more commonly referred to as Push to Talk (PTT).  You can think of this as a walkie-talkie on your mobile.  Nextel and a few other telcos have been offering this type of service, but it has been expensive and out of reach for many customers.  Palringo allows you to exchange messages via PTT.

In addition, you can send media messages including pictures, videos, and audio files.  In my interview with founder and CTO Martin Rosinksi, he told me Palringo is out to bring us SMS 2.0 regardless of what handset, carrier, or country your friends are based in.

Palringo also has a Windows based client that allows you access to your media and messages while on a computer.  Rosinksi said a Mac version is on the way.

In my opinion, we need to move beyond SMS as a way to send messages on our mobiles.  With more and more consumers adopting smartphones, we should look to using our data plans as a condiut for mobile messaging.  We IM on our computers all day without even thinking about it and it’s time to take this concept to the mobile world.  My prediction: Within 5 years, mobile IM will almost completely replace SMS.

Does this type of service interest you?

The news broke recently that German T-Mobile customers will be able to buy the iPhone 3G for 1 Euro in Germany, with one caveat.  Those who wish to buy the iPhone at this ridiculously cheap price will have to sign up for T-Mobile Germany’s highest monthly data plan.

This tactic is a stark reminder of the telcos methods here in the US.  They sell us subsidized phones in exchange for high monthly bills and long-term contracts.  One factor of the European mobile market that I love is their departure from service agreements.

I’d urge Germans to not take the bait - if you can’t afford the full cost of an iPhone 3G, then don’t buy one.  Don’t become tied down to ANY carrier just because they’re offering you cheap hardware.

(Flickr photo credit: rudolf)

T-Mobile customers have been waiting for what seems like years for the cell service provider to give us a 3G data network.  Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and AT&T have had 3G networks for quite some time, giving us mobile broadband access to the Internet.

T-Mobile has finally started the rollout of the 3G network, starting with New York City.  The new UMTS/HSDPA network will appear in other markets as the year goes on, hopefully in Portland where I could get access to it.  Currently, according to Om’s post, there are only 4 handsets available for T-Mobile’s 3G network.

However, thanks to the Nokia Blogger Relations program, I have a Nokia N81 8GB.  I would *love* to use this phone on a 3G network here in the States.  It won’t work on AT&T because they use a proprietary HSDPA network.  My hope was that T-Mobile’s network would be compatible with this Nokia phone.  Unfortunately, it’s not, because like AT&T, T-Mobile has chosen to “lock-in” customers by also employing their own proprietary 3G network.

This means that handset makers such as Sony/Ericsson, Nokia, and others who want to build a 3G handset are going to have to make 3 versions.  One for the Europe market, one for AT&T’s US network, and now one for T-Mobile’s 3G network.

This also means if I have a handset that works on the 3G network here in the States and I travel to Europe, I won’t have 3G access to the European network.  *Shrug*

After being a huge fan of the Nokia Nseries, I wanted to change gears and evaluate Nokia’s business line of phones - the E Series.  For my first trial, I received a review unit of the Nokia E61i, their flagship E Series devices that features onboard Wi-Fi, a full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, and a large vibrant screen.

At first glance

When I first picked up the Nokia E61i, I was surprised with how light it was.  Looking at the device which stands 4.6 x 2.7 x .5 inches in dimension, I was expecting it to be pretty bulky.  Not that it’s a feather, but it’s weight at 5.3 ounces feels good in the hand.

The keys are rubberized and are easy to type with.  The menu and control keys are a little small, so if you are someone with big fingers, you might want to look elsewhere for a smartphone.  There is no pointing device, but Nokia designed this phone to be an ace at one-handed operation.

I took off the battery cover and popped in my T-Mobile SIM card.  The E61i fired up and booted.  The screen is quite bright and easy to read.  Text is very distinguishable and the graphical Symbian UI excels on the E61i.

The software experience

Nokia’s E61i has the same Symbian applications as the NSeries devices, with a few extras.  Being a business phone, it has applications to read Office documents, PDF documents, and a few others for easily swapping office files around with your co-workers and colleagues.

Hopping in wireless networks was a painless task.  Also, like the Nseries, the E61i has Internet telephony built right into the phone.  This means with the right application, such as TruPhone, Fring, or other VoIP product you could make and receive phone calls without using your conventional phone minutes.  This would be extremely useful when traveling internationally.

I also loaded what I call the “Google Suite’ of applications.  This includes Google Maps (with My Location - easy GPS-like location service), Gmail, and a new feature called Google Search.  After loading Google Search, a little widget sits on the bottom of the E61i’s home screen and allows you to hit ctrl and quickly enter a Google search term.  A web window pops up with the Google search results.

One software feature that disappointed was the Exchange client.  Nokia has an Exchange client for download that allows you to connect to your corporate Exchange/Outlook email.  I successfully downloaded and installed the application, entered in my Exchange server information and user credentials.  However, the client consistently reported a “System Error” when trying to connect to the Exchange server.  I verified all the settings with our IT department, but despite all my efforts the Nokia couldn’t connect.  One attractive feature I saw the Exchange client support was its ability to configure the client to only check emails every 30 minutes when you were outside of business hours.  This will reduce battery drain by not initiating a data session every 10 minutes or so when it’s unnecessary.

Performance

On the software side, the E61i is like the other Nokia devices I’ve tried: a little sluggish.  There’s a delay when you press a key and when you get multiple applications loaded up, there’s a definite gap between the software needs and hardware resources.

However on call quality side, the E61i excelled.  My callers reported that I sounded very good and to me they sounded incredible.  The speaker is audible and crisp.  I was able to get a strong signal in areas that other phones reported weak signal strength.  Battery life was very good.  Even on days with heavy data usage, I didn’t have that much drain on the battery.  I was able to go about 3-4 days between charges.

Using the phone overall was a very high-quality experience.  Composing emails and SMS messages using the full keyboard drove higher usage of these services for me.  Navigating the call menus and working with applications was a breeze.

I already reviewed a Nokia N95-3 back in November, but when Nokia announced the N95 8GB version, I wanted to see how it compared.

Most of what I said about the N95-3 still apply.  What does the N95 8GB add to Nokia’s NSeries lineup?  Two main things - a bigger (seemingly more vibrant) screen coming in at 2.8 inches and they’ve swapped out the Micro-SD card capabilities and stacked the phone with 8GB of on-board flash memory.

The model I tested was the European version, meaning it didn’t have support for the US 3G network (AT&T’s HDSPA network).  This worked well for me because I’m on T-Mobile’s network, thereby on EDGE for data access when I can’t access an available Wi-Fi network.

Nokia’s N95 8GB is noticably larger than the original N95 and N95-3.  You definintely notice it when it’s in your pocket.  However the trade-off is the larger screen: the display is large and vibrant.  Watching media on it is a great experience.

Even though there have been mixed reviews on the web regarding having removable media versus built-in flash memory, I prefer having the 8GB on-board.

Aside from playing media, the N95 8GB delivered stellar call quality.  The battery life on the EDGE network was great, giving me 3 or 4 days of use with moderate data and voice use.

Similar to the N95 I tested before, the N95 8GB took exceptional videos and photos.  Using Nokia’s Share Online 3.0, I easily uploaded photos to my Flickr account for sharing with family and friends.

Overall I thought the N95 8GB is a fantastic phone.  However when it comes to it, I would chose the N95-3 due to it’s smaller size.  The 0.2 inches doesn’t make the media experience that much better to justify the N95 8GB monstrous size.  If I were buying a new N95, I’d get the  N95-3 and buy some hefty Micro-SD cards for media storage.

According to what I’m reading, 3 UK is going to release the skype phone on Monday, October 29.  I wrote about this before and I’m very excited that this news broke today.  I think skype is poised to cause ripples in the cell phone market, first in Europe, and hopefully North American is next.

The handset will also feature a 2 MP camera and support for video playback.

Hat tip to The Register.

Skype, the darling of VoIP, is taking a very proactive role in mobile communications and are about to release their own hybrid cell/wi-fi phone.  Up until this point, Skype has worked with other parties to bring Skype away from the desktop computer.  Examples of this include:

• partnering to make wi-fi phones with Belkin, Netgear and others
• releasing skype software for Nokia’s N800 and newly release N810.
• developing skype software for Windows Mobile

I recently received a Nokia N95 and have been playing with Fring, an app that allows you to sign into skype, gizmo project, any SIP service, and many more.  Fring works fine over wi-fi and 3G (with AT&T here in the USA), but it does not function well over T-Mobile’s edge connection.

But now, Skype is working with European telco 3 to create a skype phone that will easily transition from 3G to wi-fi, depending on which connection is available.  The skype phone, according to sources, will support HSDPA so theoretically it would work well here in the US where AT&T 3G is available.  Initially the skype phone will be available in Britain, Italy, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Lets keep our fingers crossed for a US release soon.

I’ve recently come across a Nokia N95 North American Edition. Up until this phone, I thought my next phone was going to be an Apple iPhone.

I have a full review coming in the coming weeks, but here are some initial thoughts:

Unlocked: This phone is unlocked, meaning I can use any GSM carrier I want. T-mobile pisses me off? Cya I’m going to AT&T. If I travel to Europe - I can pop in a local SIM and I’m off to the races.

Fully functional GPS: The iPhone has GPS built-in but it’s crippled. With the N95 I can map routes using the onboard navigation software, geocode my photos automatically with ShoZu, and track my workouts with Nokia Sports Tracker.

Video capture: I can take video at 640×480 at 30fps. The iPhone has this capability (with it’s 2.0 MP camera) but again, doesn’t.

VoIP calling: I can make VoIP calls over Wi-Fi or 3G. Gizmo Project, Skype, and Google Talk are now usable on my cell phone.

Yeah the iPhone may be purdy and easier to use. But for me, I want funtionality and the N95, just in the 2.5 days I’ve had it, has eroded my want for an iPhone considerably.