Send free "messages" to BlackBerry phones – it works!

Send ‘Blackberry Pin Messages’ using The Internet: If you know someone’s BBM number then you can send messages to their phone for free by connecting to this web page:  http://www.web2pin.com/web2pinfree.aspx and filling in the details: your name, your reply address, their BBM number, subject and message.

It takes about 20 seconds for the message to go through.  All you need to know is their BBM PIN number.

It does not come through on BBM, but appears on their phone in an e-mail-like format.  It is called a ‘PIN message’. 

The "From Name" appears at the top of the sent message.

The sent message looks something like this:
Reply to: 'From Name' at ‘Reply Addr’
Then your message appears…

The message also has an advertisement for the Web2Pin.com web site ie: “A free service of Web2Pin.com  http://www.web2pin.com”

So, if you don’t have a BlackBerry phone and you can’t install WhatsApp, then you can still use your phone’s Internet browser and send a BBM message to your BB friends for free :) :)

Other related posts:
WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian phones is now available
What’s the cheapest cell phone to run WhatsApp on?
Calculator: How much data does WhatsApp use and what are the costs?

WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian phones is now available

Yes, the always-on chat app “WhatsApp Messenger” has just been (beta) released for Nokia phones (14 July 2010).  You can use it to chat (as in type messages, like Skype or GTalk) to other friends that have also installed it on their phones.  The program has had a great uptake from iPhone and Blackberry phone users… and now Nokia users can do the same. 
So, as long as you have the program installed on your phone you will be able to chat to others – just create a contact using their cell phone number.  This means no more SMSs locally and internationally.  All this for free – well, almost – WhatsApp costs $1.99 per year – BUT, this beta version is free for 90 days. 

Nokia phone requirements: Nokia S60 3rd or 5th edition Smartphone (those are phones that run Symbian operating system; N73 or newer phones) – if you don’t know what Symbian is, then your phone probably isn’t compatible.
See here for a list of Nokia cell phones and their Symbian versions: http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/s60history.htm

Download the .sis file to your PC from here [796KB]: WhatsApp for Nokia phones then use Nokia’s PC Suite to install it onto your phone… else navigate to this URL using your phone’s browser: http://www.whatsapp.com/nokia/WhatsApp_2_0_0.sis.  Here’s their download page for more info.

It takes a while when installing... since it checks all your contacts cell numbers and checks if your contacts are already using WhatsApp... then you can connect with them.

I must warn you though that it keeps the Internet connection on your phone open all the time... but it doesn't send/receive data all the time... only once every 3 or so minutes (unless you are busy in a chat “conversation”). 
The beauty about this is that people can send you messages even when the program isn’t open – they appear like an SMS since the open Internet connection checks for messages every 3 or so minutes.  I have tested it and my battery life isn’t adversely affected.

Once it’s installed, it will ask you for your cell number so that others can find you by using your cell number.  No need to login or anything, it knows who you are.

Remember, it doesn’t connect to the Blackberry BB messenger service – BB users will also need to install the WhatsApp program and subscribe to the service, then use it to chat to their iPhone and Nokia friends.

Will it work on my wife’s phone? Well, to see if it’s compatible do a Google search with the phone’s model number eg: “Nokia E66” +specification
Pick one of the results and then search for “Symbian” in the page – if there’s a line like this: “Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI” then it IS compatible.  You need to look for “Series 60” v3 or v5.

What does it cost to send messages: It’s cheap… charged at data rates.  In South Africa, the unbundled data rates is about R2.00 per MB.  That’s 200c per million characters, which is 1c per 500 characters!  So, it’s as close to free as can be! 
You gotta be dumb to continue using SMSs are say R1 per local SMS for only 180 characters! (and R2 for international SMSs)

Currently Nokia users can only send text - transfer of images is only available to iPhone and Blackberry users – iPhone can also transfer audio and location.

Remember to change your status (using the Options menu) to "Available" - it looks more tech savvy than "Hey there! I'm using WhatsApp!"

“Always-on” means that there is always a “service” running on the phone – even when you’ve exited the messaging interface.  This service periodically checks the WhatsApp server for any messages for you  -if it finds one when the messaging interface is exited, then it pops up a notification on your phone like an incoming SMS.  Open up the “SMS” and it will open the WhatsApp messaging interface – all ready to read and reply.

I’ve always wondered why MXit and NimBuzz never really took off compared to Blackberry messenger (and probably now WhatsApp) – I think it’s the ‘Always on’ feature…


BTW: to all my loyal readers that have read the whole article: when I installed the beta version it said that it was licensed until July 2011 – whooppeeee 1 year free license for using the beta version.  Let me know if you also got a year.

Update on 28July2010: WhatsApp has been updated: version 2.0.0 has been updated to 2.0.6. Download from here: http://www.whatsapp.com/nokia/

Update on 01Sept2010: WhatsApp for Android beta is now available - use your Android browser to download from here: http://www.whatsapp.com/android/

Minimum requirements: Android OS 2.2 or above, Unlimited internet data plan

Send 5 free SMSs per day to any cellular network in South Africa

I just stumbled upon this free service that allows you to send 5 free SMSs (text messages) per day to any of the cellular networks in South Africa: Vodacom, MTN, CellC.  All you need to do is register (for free) and you also get a free email box and free fax-to-email service (free for the receiver, but the sender pays:  see here for more info: Don’t be fooled by this false advertising: “FREE fax to e-mail service”)


So, getting to the point: Register here for your free email account: http://www.webmail.co.za/default.aspx?link=profile_register

Then click on the “Send free SMS” banner advert or click here: http://www.webmail.co.za/default.aspx?link=freesms


  
While you are there – check out the fantastic competitions page!  Stand a chance to win all sorts of prizes for free: cars, holidays, TVs, furniture, laptops, iPhones, shopping vouchers, airline tickets, PS3, cars, and more at JustPlay:

To send free SMSs to International (and South African) cell phones: Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay less than 1c for the GPRS costs)

Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE from your mobile phone! Site updated....

Mjoy is an unbelievable service and I use it daily!



Granted, MXit is (very) gr8, but for those that aren't 'hard-wired' (logged in) to MXit all day, SMS is more accessible (but, until Mjoy, more expensive).



I see the site has just been upgraded and I couldn't find the login button on the new site (I could only see a 'Join' button) on the http://www.mjoy.com/ page. :eek:



I managed to find a (temporary, I hope) workaround.... by entering my Country and Cell number, then clicking on the "Join" button,
then an SMS was sent to my cell phone.
I followed the link on my cell phone and the system complained that the cell number was already registered - I clicked 'No' to keep the exiting user,
and then I was taken to the 'Change password' screen.
I entered the old password (twice) and I was then taken to the Mjoy main menu (and I could send SMSs again).



BUT, I logged out again, and then the Login button was still missing.... do I need to go thru the "Join" process again??




{For the record: today there are 83,254 users from 141 countries - 125 new members joined today.}

See here for the orginal HTT MJoy post: Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay less than 1c for the GPRS costs)

Update: Mar2009: see comments below which include statement from Mjoy indicating that their service is primarily for mobile - so PC users cannot use their browser to login.

I have heard of colleagues using Firefox to login successfully though.... must be an Add on, because virgin installations of Firefox are blocked from logging into Mjoy.

Here's a dump of add ons from a PC with Firefox that does allow logging into Mjoy:

Application: Firefox 3.0.7 (2009021910)
Operating System: WINNT (x86-msvc)
- Better Gmail 2 0.7.3.2
- BugMeNot 2.1
- Context Search 0.4.3
- DownloadHelper 4.2
- Enrique B. and John S. 0.6.1
- Extended Statusbar 1.5.3
- Extension List Dumper 1.14.1
- Fast Dial 2.22b
- Free Download Manager plugin 1.3.4
- HandyTechTipper Toolbar 2.0.0.58
- IE Tab 1.5.20090207
- ImgLikeOpera 0.6.17
- Java Console 6.0.11
- Java Quick Starter 1.0
- keyconfig 20080929
- Linkification 1.3.5
- PageZoom 0.4.0
- PC Sync 2 Synchronisation Extension (Nokia) 1.0.0.685
- RetailMeNot 2.2
- Rewind/Fastforward Buttons 2.1.2008062002
- Secure Login 0.9.3
- Session Manager 0.6.4.4
- StumbleUpon 3.28
- Tab Mix Plus 0.3.7.3
- Tree Style Tab 0.7.2009031701
- User Agent Switcher 0.6.11
- View Cookies 1.7
- Web Developer 1.1.6
- wmlbrowser 0.7.18
- Xinha Here! 0.14

Items listed in bold are probably the enabler(s) - if you manage to isolate the add on, then please comment and assist others in using their PCs to send free SMSs.

{For the record: today (21Mar'09) there are 113,404 users from 145 countries - 952 new members joined today.}

Update: 06Apr2009: Seems like all good things come to an end... Mjoy have now restricted the SMS sending of messages to max 5 per day. I got this error message when sending an SMS:
"Sorry, you can currently only send 5 messages per day. To help increase the daily amount of messages, please click on advertisement when using this service."

They still need to modify their message on their registration page which still says;
"Send unlimited FREE Text Messages to any mobile phone in the world. Enter your phone number below and we will send you a message with a link to our service."

{For the record: today (21Mar'09) there are 127351 users from all parts of the world - 483 new members joined today.}

Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay <1c for the GPRS costs)

Powered by advertising, now you can send a text message to any cell phone in the world for free.

Mobile web portal mjoy.com is offering a groundbreaking new service: from now on, any cellphone user can send messages to any phone in the world, unlimited, to all countries and completely free of charge.

I couldn't figure out the details of what was involved by reading their web site, so I decided to try it out, and sure enough I could send free SMSs to cell phones for free! The delivery was almost immediate as well - so, so far, I'm pretty impressed.

Oh, 1 more thing - the text messages have no character limit!

The process was simple. Here's what I had to do:

1) Once you've set up your cell phone for GPRS use (here are some instructions: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/in-this-day-and-age-im-amazed-by-low.html) open your cell phone's Internet browser and connect to http://www.mjoy.com

2) Click on "Join" and fill in your details: Country, cell number

3) Mjoy will then send an SMS to your cell phone with a URL that you need to follow to activate your account

4) Open the SMS, and click on the URL - your browser should open and you'll be taken to Step 3 of the registration process: Choose a nickname and password, then click on "Send me the link".

5) You should then get a "Registration successful" message, then click on the "Login" button, then "Home" button

6) Bookmark this page for future use

7) To send SMSs, click on the "Free Text" button, then on "New Message" and fill in the destination cell number and message, then click "Send"

The recipient will receive your text message along with an advert like "I am texting for FREE with http://mjoy.com"

(Seems like if you are registered on mjoy, then you don't actually receive the text message - you receive a message pointing you to your InBox on the mjoy.com web site: "New mjoy message - open the link http://mjoy.com/m/t/abcdef............")

For other ways to send free SMSs see here:

Did you know that you can send FREE SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/did-you-know-that-you-can-send-free.html

Send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa; and 5 SMSs every 4 hours to Zim - and it works!: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/04/send-1-free-sms-every-2-hours-to-any.html

Send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa; and 5 SMSs every 4 hours to Zim - and it works!

Further to my posting "Did you know that you can send 20x free SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?", here is a site that allows you to send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa: http://www.onlinesms.co.za/

For sending free SMSs to Zim:

Register for free here: http://www.smszim.com/register.asp

Activate your account (an email will be sent to you)

Send SMS here: http://www.smszim.com/sms.asp

Then you can send 5 SMSs every 4 hours.

Here are more South African free SMS sending sites:
Mahala SMS: (no registration required) send 2 FREE SMS's everyday!
BlueWorld: Register first, then send free SMSs (I haven't tried this one yet).

Did you know that you can send FREE SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?

If you have a Vodacom SIM card then you can register on www.vodacom4me.co.za and then you can send up to 20 free SMSs per day to other Vodacom subscribers?
If you don't have a Vodacom SIM card, then go and buy one (for R1.99 at some supermarkets), then purchase and load R12 airtime…..and then register on on www.vodacom4me.co.za

{I think MTN has a similar feature called MTN-ice - so buy your MTN SIM card now and let me know}

There's also a cool feature to schedule the sending of SMSs.... eg: for your friend's birthday or Christmas
You can set up a contacts list and then pick from that list when sending SMSs

Also, there's a service called "email-to-SMS" where you can send a (free) SMS to a Vodacom subscriber by sending an email.
If your friend's cell phone number is 0824567890 then write a short email as follows:
To: 0824567890@voda.co.za
Subject: Type your SMS in the subject line [limited to about 145 characters]

Note: this email-to-SMS service is limited to 3 SMSs per day (per email account)

For other countries' free email-to-SMS services go here: (thanks orkut): http://orkuttricks.blogspot.com/2008/01/send-free-sms-from-mail.html
[Currently lists: AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, CANADA, GERMANY, ICELAND, INDIA, ITALY, JAPAN, NETHERLANDS, SINGAPORE, SPAIN, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM]

Here are some more tips on saving money re: cell phones:

Did you know that it is cheaper to call cell‑to‑cell than to call cell‑to-Telkom?

Did you know that it’s sometimes cheaper to dial someone’s voice mail directly than it is to send an SMS (contract dependent)

Did you know that it’s cheaper to dial someone’s voice mail directly (sly voicemail)than to let it divert to voice mail?

Did you know that you can dial someone’s voice mail directly by dialling:

Vodacom: 082131+rest of the number;

MTN: 0831483+rest of the number;

CellC: ????? ;

This is useful when:
*) you think of something and don't really want to call someone at that time (early in the morning or late at night)
*) you don't really feel like typing an SMS (costs are more-or-less the same for SMS and direct-voicemail)

Update on 14July2009:

From http://richelectron.blogspot.com/2009/01/free-vodacom-sms.html:

Vodacom4me allows Vodacom subscribers to send 20 free sms's every day from the Vodacom portal website. BUT, this feature is only available from desktop computers and cell phone users are redirected to a mobile version of the Vodacom4me site :(

This means that the site cannot be used to send free sms's from a mobile phone :(

Free082SMS bridges this divide though :) by providing users with an interface to the Vodacom4me website or email to sms from their mobiles to send free messages on the go! The site is built around a simple text based structure for optimal performance on most web enabled phones. Check it out... click here for more (and screen shot)