As you already know from previous posts I’m quite enamored with text messaging. But given that SMS costs effectively nothing for carriers to provide I find myself infuriated by two things:
- The surcharge for sending and receiving international texts — up to 60¢ per message using my carrier.
- That I can’t send texts at all to friends on some international networks.
There’s no shortage of dubious web-based “free” SMS-sending sites out there, but leave it to BBC’s Click to find something better — it’s not free, but it’s worth every penny of the few cents per message that it costs.
It’s called FishText.
Here’s FishText installed on my E71. It’s a Java app, and thus works with almost any mobile phone and OS.
And here’s where it leaves those free SMS sites in the dust. FishText brilliantly connects to your mobile’s built-in address book, so using it is almost as easy as your on-board texting app. Replies are sent back to your number, or to a “virtual” UK number that you set up with the service for an additional cost — which can be useful for screening potential SMS spammers, for example.
Texts exchanged between FishText users anywhere in the world are free, provided that the recipient has the FistText app running on their handset to receive it.
While FishText is not a free service the highest price you’ll pay per sent message is €0.03 — you can top up your account in €5.00 increments through the app itself with a credit card, or use PayPal on their desktop website.
I’ve tested FishText with international friends and can tell you that the service works as advertised, with no ads, spam or other ills. If you’ve friends in faraway places with whom you’d like to trade texts at a reduced rate, FishText is the app for you!