[laurah]

Unfortunately while I am quite proficient in emailing I am a total newbie in the world of text messaging but it appears to be the only way to efficiently contact my college age children. On my old Motorola phone I sorta knew how to send a text message (though I probably only sent half a dozen in my life) but with my BB I'm at a loss and the more I read the more confused I get as to what I need to do to send a phone to phone text message - not email as my daughter's only email account is through MySpace yada yada yada.

So - Neither kid has a BB so I know that BB Messenger is not an option. Do I need some sort of separate software program?

Someone please take pity on a middle aged account that technology has by passed and teach me the basics of text messaging from a BB Curve so that I can once again have at least minimal contact with the younger generation.

Thank you in advance - laurah

[laurah]

That's it? What's all this Aim, ICQ, AOL etc etc stuff? Or is that something different?

Of course with the great and powerful AT&T/Cingular I now must pay extra for text messages which they in their wisdom have determined are not "data" though the same information in an email would be considered "data".

To use a word from "back in my day" - I often feel as if I am Cingular's "tool".

[robm15]

Hi Laurah,
As a fellow middle aged person with college student kids, I know where you coming from in terms of this technology.

This is how I understand it, and if I'm off base I'm sure someone will correct me.

I use SMS (simple message system) text messaging with my son's when I just need to pass a quick thought, and get a quick reply. But as you said, Verizon in my case, charges per message. I pay for my kids to have unlimited texting, but I don't have it since I rarely use it. What I have learned though is that I can email them a text message from my BB and it won't cost me a cent, since we are on Verizon this is done by sending a email to 'theirphone#'@vtext.com. They receive it on their phones a text message. When they reply, it is sent from their phones as a text message, but I get it as a email on my BB. It takes a bit longer than a pure SMS text message would take, but for my purposes that is okay.

As far as AIM, ICQ, and all those types of Instant messangers, they are all data to my BB, if I had those programs installed. But I don't and don't use them. Besides to use an instant messenger on their cell phones would require another data plan, just not reasonable as far as I'm concerned.

I think the reason all this gets confusing, at least for me, is because each of these messaging methods evolved in different ways for different purposes but are now being merged into one device, i.e., our BB's and cell phones. The SMS was just a cell phone text messenger when it started. The email and instant messengers were computer only messengers when they started. But now people far smarter than me have figured out how to cross borders between cell phones and computers, making it hard for folks like me to understand.

Does that help, or just make it worse?

Rob

[laurah]

Rob-
Thanks for the "Cellphone Technology Guide for People Who Missed it the First Time" nutshell review. Helps a bit more in understanding it all.

I'm a person who uses a cellphone for voice calls and emails. My kids both use their phones primarily for text messages (in the 2-3000 a month per kid range). So I figure if I want to speak with them I better shake off the senility and learn (also because I refuse to put down the Curve even for a minute so learning how to do new things is good).

Now all I have to do is find out about how to send an email as a text message through ATT/Cingular.

Is that the one I read that is "their phone number"@mmode.com? Does it matter if I was originally Cingular (which is [email protected])? I may start sending test emails to my kids since it is still gloomy and rain-like here in Houston TX and I need to keep playing with my new Curve.

Thanks everyone for the patience and help for a technology-impaired newbie that has developed a very bad crackberry habit in 3 short weeks.

[DearFloyd]

Let me just say that I admire "middle-aged" parents who are willing to learn and adapt to technology for the sake of their kids or even just staying in the loop. My hat's off to you guys.

You guys are correct about text message charges being different from data/email/instant message charges. Although I have AT&T and they charge IMs as texts, some carriers include it with a data plan.

I'm not sure if it still works but there was a trick to send emails as texts to people without blackberries. I would compose an email and send it to their [email protected] (i.e. [email protected])

Other than that, if a budget permits, I would just invest in the cheapest text message plan. I know my parents and I have AT&T so we get included mobile-to-mobile texts between each other with no extra charge. Something to look into. Yall rock!

[laurah]

Thanks for the info GoDJ. Kids and I are all on AT&T (only reliable provider in their college areas = read as "middle of nowhere with bars and classrooms"). I'm going to try a few trial @teleflip.com messages to the kids and if that doesn't garner any responses I'll check with my (cough,cough) beloved AT&T customer service crew about whether mobile to mobile is free or adding some sort of text plan to my plan.

I certainly can't put down the Curve just because of a little inconvenience in contacting my family.

Thanks to all who helped bring some enlightenment to an "old fart newbie".

[DearFloyd]

If you dont mind, report back and let us know if it works.

[Iaxbbcp]

Ok check your plan for actual charges per message but the actual process of sending a text message from you bb is quite simple. From your adress book select a contact you should get a menu with choices from editing contact to calling the contact. Select SMS contact it will ask you to choose a number if you have more than one listed. Select the mobile phone and a window will open to type your message. Type then click send. Hope this helps

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Tina99ers]

How to you send SMS to everyone on your list all at one? Anyone know please HELP!!!

[Bla1ze]

Tina99ers: Go into a text message, click on your menu key and choose the "add recipient" option, choose from your address book....repeat.

laurah:
Your address is your 10-digit [email protected]....this will save you money on the sending as the email is included with your BB plan, and the charges only apply to your kids phones as a txt message charge....I THINK this is what you were looking for from my understanding of what I read.


EXAMPLE:

To e-mail a text message to an AT&T wireless phone:

1. Type the text message as an e-mail through your e-mail account.
2. Send the e-mail to the AT&T wireless phone using the following address format for the AT&T wireless phone number:
   • 10-digit wireless phone [email protected]

Standard messaging rates apply for the recipient.