The Smart PDA

David Pogue of the New York Times has compiled a list of free mobile services that naturally work only in the US. Here's a listing of the services featured:

• Google SMS – You can also find out useful information from Google via text.
• FuturePhone – Pay only for a call to an access number, and call other countries for free.
• Pinger – Mixes the benefits of SMS and voice mail together.
• YouMail – Replace your service provider's voice mail.
• Frucall – Find out how much something costs online.

I'd love to see versions of these services pop up in other countries. And I'm sure Google will have no problems getting local partners for its SMS services, especially in a text-avid country like the Philippines.

Fellow Filipinos living in the US, who like keeping in touch with relatives back home, will probably like FuturePhone, since its a cheap way of communicating.

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6 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. 

   Sasha Manuel
   November 27th, 2006 at 2:15 am #

   Have you ever wondered why these services are free? I’m curious as to what kind of business model they have to cover for overhead.

   But free will always be welcomed with open arms. LOL.

2. 

   Rico
   November 27th, 2006 at 4:23 am #

   According to the advertisement, while FuturePhone, Pinger and YouMail are still undergoing testing, all these services plan to profit from advertisements. YouMail at least allows you the option to pay a monthly fee for an ad-free version.

   And yes, free services are the best!

3. 

   Sasha Manuel
   November 29th, 2006 at 2:59 pm #

   You mean they might introduce changes after the testing’s over? And profit will come purely from adverts then, yea?

4. 

   Rico
   December 5th, 2006 at 9:14 am #

   Well I’m not sure what each service’s owners plan to do once their trial versions end. Do you think that relying solely on advertisements is a good business model?

5. 

   Drug Detoxification
   May 30th, 2007 at 5:27 am #

   The idea of adding text messaging to the services of mobile users was latent in many communities of mobile communication services at the beginning of the 1980s. Experts from several of those communities contributed in the discussions on which should be the GSM services. Most thought of SMS as providing a means to alert the individual mobile user, for example, of an deposited voice mail, whereas others had more sophisticated applications in their minds, such as telemetry. However, few believed that SMS would be used as a means for sending text messages from one mobile user to another.

6. 

   Diego
   August 31st, 2007 at 3:04 am #

   Access this mobile translator for free http://www.tauyou.com/mobile/mt.php. Select your desired language, and enjoy! It only works in mobile phones …