Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"AT&T is now seriously restricting their SMS plan offerings for new customers. They have just confirmed that as of this Sunday (August 21st), all new AT&T customers will only be able to choose between an unlimited SMS plan (starting at $20/month), or a pay-per-text plan instead."

Saying they are "streamlining" their text messaging plans, AT&T has done away with all the mid range plans (1,000 texts, 1,500 texts, etc etc) for new customers. All they are being offered now is unlimited plans or a pay as you go plan. I never like companies limiting choices, but I can understand wanting to streamline things. I personally have always had the unlimited plan (teenage daughter, you know the drill) on our family plan and it works pretty well. What are your thoughts on this new limitation?

"Apple just barely announces the existence of iMessage and the world screeches to a halt. Blackberry stocks take a dive and the future of SMS in the US is called into question. And I'm personally left feeling very confused."

The confusion comes about due to the reaction of the markets, with talk of Apple's iMessage function bringing about the death of SMS as we know it (this article for one). I certainly don't believe that, because, like Apple fans, there are Android fans, Blackberry fans and fans even of the old faithful flip phone. To think that iMessage is going to significantly alter the course of messaging is rather ridiculous. Granted, it will be a nice option to have but only between iOS devices, and I will still have a need for SMS on my trusty iPhone to communicate with friends that have chosen to stick with the Android platform. There is no all-in-one app out there that has captured EVERYONE's interest so until that happens, I think SMS is safe. If you are interested in a good run down of the iMessage function, Apple Insider has a pretty good article here. What are your thoughts?

"Lovely new iPhone app that allows you to write text messages before hand, and choose if you always will send it to the same person or not. Either way you can send the message very fast, great tool and it's only $0.99."

Interesting app [affiliate link]. Most of my text messages are conceived on the spot so I don't really see myself using this, but I like the idea of having something like this as an option. I suppose it would work well if I was thinking far ahead enough to plan some messages about travel arrivals, asking about grocery items needed, etc. Come to think of it, I may find a use for this after all. What are your thoughts, canned text messages have a place in your arsenal?

"Text messages are a wonderful things. They let you have conversations in a wide range of situations, such as when you have to let your best friend know about the skanky behavior of a new neighbor with the window open. Of course, texts can also be a problem when they are long. Texts over the limit can get rejected or broken up in the wrong place. By default, the software will not tell you how many characters you have typed, but we can change that with these simple steps."

I honestly never thought to look in the settings for this, but it was something that always bothered me. Luckily, I came across these instructions from Appletell. Basically, under Message settings, switch character count to on. It's that simple. If you need step by step directions, click through to the Appletell article. Just a heads up: The count doesn't show up until the SMS message is long enough to be two lines of text or more.

"I said this a while ago in my SMS replacement roundup, but I don't feel your pain. MMS is unlimited and included in the price of iPhone service in Japan. That's not to say I don't understand your pain though. When I did live in the US, I had to deal with SMS fees sometimes."

I have the unlimited texting so I feel a little pain each month, however not enough to switch to this just because it is free. However since it does work outside the US based on how it sends and receives messages without charging SMS fees, it is something I might try if I leave the country. If you are interested in saving a few bucks on SMS, or want to send text messages from your iPod Touch, you can get it for free in iTunes at the App Store.

"Are you looking for an easy way to call or send SMS messages to your contacts using your Google Voice number right from your fingertips? GV Connect is your answer."

Nice way to send and receive SMS via your laptop or desktop. If you sync your contacts to your Google account then everything is right there for you to use. If you have a Google Voice account, this is something that works pretty seamlessly with it.