DeskSMS. Send Text Messages from Your Computer
by Jonathan Lonczak
Oct 17, 2011 3:30 PM –
Install
DeskSMS lets you text from your phone number via your Gmail, Gtalk, or browser! DeskSMS forwards your text (and MMS!) messages to your GMail, Google Chat, and DeskSMS Chrome extension! And if you reply back, the recipient gets a text from your number! You can use your favorite IM client (Beejive, Trillian, etc.) or email client to send text messages from your phone number! Download DeskSMS on your phone, and then use your an IM or email client from your PC or tablet to send text messages!
Price: Free 14 day trial, $4.99/year
Tested on: Sony Xperia Play, HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Droid Bionic, HTC Droid Incredible 2
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- DeskSMS allows you to easily send and receive texts on your PC or mobile devices!
- Integrates with Google Talk, Gmail, as well as Chrome and Firefox web extensions!
- Utilizes push server for near instant send and receive!
- Merges contacts with Google Talk and Gmail so you can tell who is texting you!
- Inexpensive subscription system of payment!
- Easy to set up and to use!
- Excellent developer support!
Cons
- Merged contacts can be annoying.
- Some people will dislike the subscription method of payment despite reasonable pricing.
Features:
DeskSMS is an excellent application which allows Android users to send and respond to text messages sent to their Android device on any of their other Android devices or standard computers. DeskSMS is an application by Koush, the creator the insanely popular application ROM Manager, which allows you to have your texts forwarded using Google Talk, Gmail, or through browser extensions to your other devices. You are then able to reply to these messages through the platform of your choice and have them sent from the device they were originally sent to. This allows you to easily access your text messages from any device and respond without anyone ever knowing the difference.
The set up process is extremely simple. Once you have downloaded the application on to your Android device and run the application it will prompt you to allow it to have access to your Google account. This is in order for you to be able to have messages forwarded from your device to your Gmail, Google Talk, or Chrome browser extensions. Once you have granted DeskSMS access to your Google account your seven day trial period of the application will begin.
The way that I primarily use it is through Google Talk. What I like about that integration is that it allows all of my other Android devices access to my text messages and gives me the capability of responding to texts through my tablet, my laptop, or another one of my Android phones. Whenever you receive a text message through DeskSMS for the first time the Google Talk application will ask you whether you want to begin a new chat with the phone number that is texting you at the DeskSMS server. Once you accept this initial conversation request your messages will be delivered to your Google Talk and you will be able to respond to them at once.
One of the best things about this application is that there is no delay between when you send the text and when the person you are texting receives it! Unlike other applications that utilize Dropbox to send and receive texts from tablets on a server that they must poll every 5-10 minutes; DeskSMS utilizes a push server to send and receive texts almost instantaneously from any of your devices.
If you prefer to use browser extensions instead of Google Talk you are able to download extensions for both Google Chrome and Firefox and use them to accomplish this same text forwarding ability on your PC. You can also text using Gmail which provides an excellent digital log of all of your text conversations for future use. However, I personally prefer Google Talk because of its universal usability and text message like interface.
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DeskSMS Google Talk
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DeskSMS Google Talk Text
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DeskSMS Accept Message
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DeskSMS Main Screen
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DeskSMS Desktop
Usefulness:
I find DeskSMS to be extremely useful because it allows me to text from any of my devices including my laptop, my netbook, my tablet, and my two other Android Phones. For a very small price every year I am able to use all of these devices to stay productive and still be able to message other people while doing my work. Other applications try to do similar things, but none that I have tried have performed as well as this simple yet invaluable application.
Ease of Use:
It it very easy to use. All I needed to do was download the application on to the Android device I wished to forward texts from and follow a couple of on-screen prompts and I was ready for action. Once I began using the application I did find it much easier to download the Google Talk desktop client for each of my PC’s, but everything that could have been simplified in the app was and made for an incredibly user friendly experience.
Frequently Used:
I use DeskSMS daily because I find that it makes it much easier for me to respond to my text messages when I’m doing my work either on a computer or on another device. Which allows me to easily send and respond to text messages without having to be near the phone that is doing the sending. Often I find myself using it to text from a phone that is plugged in to a charger so that I don’t need to bother with unplugging the phone or pulling on the cable. I also find that it makes it much easier for me to respond to texts while writing reviews or working on my PC.
Interface:
The interface for the application is straightforward and easy to use. Though the aesthetics are very simple the application performs as desired and makes it easy for the user to set up in the fashion that they desire. One minor annoyance, in order for DeskSMS to work you have to merge your contacts list from your phone with your Google Talk contacts list. Creating a large list of phone numbers which now clutters your Google Talk friends list. However, I do not see any way around this issue due to the limitations of Google Talk.
Another minor complaint by users is the fact that DeskSMS has a yearly subscription fee. However, this is understandable due to the costs of maintaining a push server for the application and is actually quite a reasonable price for such a useful application. Although I was hesitant at first about buying this it because of the subscription price model; I realized that I could not live without this application plus for less than 50 cents a month is a very reasonable price to pay for it!
Tags:
Android App,
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AndroidTapp.com App Review,
browser texting,
ClockworkMod,
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Google Voice,
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Categorised in: Communication
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