Out the Window Computer

Actually Useful Things You Can Do With Text Messages

Text messages are a great way of communicating small, often pointless bits of information back and forth using a phone, without talking. A niche area of usefulness to be sure, but one that I heartily subscribe to.
Still, I’d love my texts to do more, without having to pay more than my far-too-expensive text and minutes plan already costs me. Perhaps, texts could even earn their keep by being useful for something other than finding out what the SO is doing while I’m at work. So I began a search to find useful, free things to do with text messages. This is what I dug up:

Kwiry

Kwiry is cool, if only for the breadth of things that you can do from your phone after a few quick steps to register. Send yourself an email, add movies to your Netflix queue (a particular favorite of mine), update your Twitter and Facebook statuses, set shows to record to your Tivo, and about a quarter-ton of other features.

Google SMS

Search with Google via text message. Check prices, find someplace to eat, all within your preset location, or one you define. Put on the over dramatic voice with me: The power of Google is in your hand!

Twitter

This one may be elementary, but there’s really no better way to make use of well-known microblog Twitter than to use your phone to give a play-by-play of your life from where ever you are.

Fandango SMS

Need to know the time a movie is playing, just text movie tickets service Fandango with the movie name and your zip code and get a message back with showtimes. Alternately, text your zip code only to get a list of times all movies are playing.

Cha Cha

Want to know the answer to a question, any question. Text it to Cha Cha and a real-life person will search for the answer and reply back within a few minutes. Seriously.