Android Tapp. Android App Reviews & Showcase Just a Tapp Away

Handcent SMS

User Rating4.45/5

Download

AndroLib

AppBrain

Share

Handcent SMS is a free SMS tools for android, it full unleash the power of your phone: Full support SMS & MMS, great customize options, different style and power function (search sms, sms popup, speak sms & T9). Full support MMS on Droid and add “Split 160″ function, visit http://news.handcent.com for other release notes.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Enhanced text messaging capabilities
• SMS Popup
• MMS
• Text Signature
• T9
• Better than default Messaging app

Cons

• Some slight quirks here and there… i.e. say you’ve deleted or read a text from one person, when using the “popup” feature and another person sends a text the previously read/deleted persons’ message pops back up.

Features:

Handcent SMS Android App offers enhanced text messaging capabilities. Send & receive texts from full app or popup interface (similar to SMS Popup), send & save MMS contents (Picture Messages), T9 style keyboard, add your text signature, search texts, change the theme, font packs or background, Android notifications, ringtones and vibration patterns, even cooler… speak your text or have them read back to you!

This app has come a long way and much better than my initial look at it… of course back then Android didn’t have an on-screen keyboard so you had to combine chompSMS and SMS Popup to get some of Handcent SMS features. We get a lot of emails asking “How to do text signatures?” on Android and this app solves that. Batch mode is very useful to scroll through and check a list or Group of contacts when sending bulk messages (like for a party invite). They put the icing on the cake by utilizing text-to-speech and speech-to-text (something I personally like when too busy to type out a long text message… just speak it)!

Usefulness:

Text messaging is one of the most used features of a cell phone besides making calls, this app can be used to replace the default Messaging app.

Android Advice™: How to Remove Duplicate Notifications when HandCent SMS is Installed

Go the Settings » Managing Applications » browse for Messaging » Uncheck Default settings.

When you send a new text message, check the “Use by default for this action” checkbox option then choose Handcent SMS.

Ease of Use:

Important! If used be sure to disable default Messaging apps’ notifications as to not receive duplicate notifications.

Frequently Used:

If used, every time you send/receive a text message.

Interface:

The user interface is slick especially the iPhone theme.