Send Free SMS from your email to Globe, Smart and Sun* Mobile phones

I have received an emailed press release today regarding yet another FREE SMS service offering from MegaMobile Inc. The letter reads:

Dear Family and Friends,

We've just come out with a simple and easy to use messaging service that allows anyone with an email to send FREE SMS text messages to any Globe, Smart and Sun* mobile subscriber. This is especially useful and, more importantly, cost-saving for our Kababayans abroad who need to get in touch with friends and family this Holiday Season. So, forward this email to your egroups and mailing lists.

*in the works, service on Sun coming soon!

How to send SMS from your email:
1) Type in the recipients' (To:, cc:, bcc:) mobile in this format <cellphone number>@m2m.ph (example: 09178889999@m2m.ph)
2) Write your SMS message as you would an email.
3) Send!

Note: Don't forget to save your recipients' mobile "email" address in your contacts list so it will be easier for you to send and compose future sms emails. I've attached a screenshot of how this might look like.
Conversely, you may also send SMS from your mobile phones to any email address. How to do it:

1) Compose an SMS message in this format: M2M <recipient email address> <Your Message>
Example: M2M steve@apple.com When are you coming up with a better Iphone?!
2) Send to 2948

Try it out yourselves and tell your friends about it.
Enjoy the holidays!

Anjo

We'll there is no more excuse not being able to greet everyone a Merry Christmas this year!

TxtTayo! - A Facebook FREE SMS Messenger

First of all... It's been a long time since I announced a new service but it's not my fault! Blame it to my boss who wants to keep everything under wraps. Hehe. Anyway I have off the web-sphere for a long time for that matter and I want to celebrate my return with something new to offer, so here goes...

Introducing MegaMobile's TxtTayo FREE SMS Messenger for Facebook.

TxtTayo is is Facebook application on the web, it means you have to be a Facebook user to use this.

So what makes it different from Chikka or Sun iMessenger? TxtTayo allow you to send free SMS messages to your Facebook friends even if you don't know their phone number! Just think of the benefits using TxtTayo:

• Keep your number anonymous, never have to worry about stalkers again.
• Connect with friends abroad, let them send you messages from Facebook for free and you can reply back to straight from your phone.
• Share with friends, invite your friends on Facebook to use TxtTayo so they can send you SMS for free!
• Keep in control, allow only your true friends to send you messages not some fakester.
• No keywords to memorize, it works like your second phone number.
• No downloads required, most IM clients needs Internet anyway then why do you need to download it? Or why do you need another web site different from what you already use? Just login to your Facebook account!
• No connection problem, TxtTayo is powered by Facebook so we don't have connection problems and will work with firewalls with zero configuration.
• It's FREE, you're free to send via Facebook and Php2.50 to reply optionally via mobile for Globe and Smart. Php2.00 for Sun.

There you have it! Of course those are for regular folks, there are other ways to use TxtTayo. For example, you can create a Company Profile and let customers send you inquiries for free or send all of them updates of your new products for free!

Now are you excited to try TxtTayo? Click here to visit the TxtTayo Facebook application page to add it in your Facebook profile and start texting friends from free!

What's in the future? TxtTayo is going to evolve from being just an SMS messenger, as a matter of fact were evolving it beyond text messages and beyond anything that has been offered before. So watch out because "The Big Bad Godie is Back to Rock Your World!".

Having Problems with Globe?

More complaints are posted online by Globe users where users cant send sms but can receive them, cant load prepaid, some even claims having able to call for free -- I don't know why they complain about free calls tho :D

So what's happening?

The inside scoop is the southern network fiber optics cable of Globe was cut thus isolating most of Visayas network, especially the Cebu Globe data center. I already knew about this since Monday but we kept our mouth shut while quick remedies are being made.

Unfortunately the remedies seemed to have caused more problems than the original so more users started noticing the problem by mid-week and it also started to affect Globelines (Internet ISP) users as well -- I bet its due to the re-routing to mitigate the fiber optics problem.

I have not receive further information on the status of the problem since Monday which might mean its going to gets even bad before it gets better again.

Finally the cause of the incident is still undisclosed but theories between underwater earthquake severing the lines, sabotage by terrorists with submarines and the relation to Cloverfield monster is being discussed at the moment.

Unlimited SMS promo: Telcos may get sued for price hike?

Only here in the Philippines, the 'text' capital of the world where SMS is as basic necessity as food:


Protest banner from TxtPower (emailed)

A consumer advocacy group called TxtPower, who is determined to protect the rights of Filipino SMS users, has filed a petition on the National Telecommunications Commission last Feb 5, 2007 to stop the 100-150% increase of Globe Telecom's unlimited sms promo. To give time for TxtPower to argue its position, the NTC released a price-hike suspension order but unfortunately Globe ignored the order which promptly caused TxtPower to declare in outrage a boycott against the the said telco. Finally will NTC conduct a public hearing between TxtPower and Globe tomorrow 2 PM at its office on Quezon City to resolve the issue.

Back story:

SUN Cellular was the first to be awarded by NTC and DTI a permanent permit for its unlimited SMS promo. Later on the same permit were awarded to Globe and Smart Telecoms after they pledged to offer the same unlimited SMS promos permanently.

IMEVRYWHR... what? dont stutter please!

Globe Telecoms Philippines launched its IMEVRYWHR service powered by FastMobile to integrate IM, SMS, MMS and voice. Philstar.com posted an article titled "3G, Going, Gone, Gone" last December 8, 2006 which was "removed" from the archive from some reasons; maybe they are scared of big G? The article seems to be a rip-off anyway of the article published on Businessweek title "3G: Going, Going, Gone". The Philstar- article tackles Globe's non-productive 3G infrastructure compared to it's closest, rival Smart Telecoms and says Globe released its IMEVRYWHR service just to keep up its 3G service's PR.

If anyone has a cached version of the site from Google Desktop please email me at

My Own Mobile Service

I finally got my own Mobile Service via Txtdomain.com and it now comes with a cool widgets that you see at the right side of this page. (disclosure: I work there :D) These days, mobile technology is rapidly advancing up to the point that its almost homogenous with the Internet.

Where Web might have failed in giving us a total freedom and personal space, mobile has succeeded.

The screen shot above is from Txtdomain's web interface that allows full control in creating your own mobile service.