Office SMS

Richard Price
18 June 2002

Office SMS is hardware — a PC and SIM card-based system that can be used to send SMS messages to anyone with a mobile phone.

Similar programs available for sending SMS messages from a PC are typically web-based and rely on an Internet connection.

Office SMS impressed me because the box plugs straight into a PC and no Internet connection is required.

The unit, similar in size to a small modem, uses any serial port and operates like a cell-phone modem.

I had difficulty inserting the SIM card into the unit, perhaps because the card must be clipped into a small plastic tray which then slides upside down into place. I struggled to get the contacts to align properly and was on the point of giving up when it suddenly burst into life.

Office SMS is a local invention developed by Australian company Call Direct. According to the press blurb it is the first product of its type in the world and a global patent application has been submitted.

Once the Office SMS software is installed even novice users would have no trouble sending an SMS message. The interface, similar to an e-mail program, consists of a simple self explanatory one-page screen containing an Inbox, New Message, Sent messages and Quick Text tab, as well as an Address Book

Sending a message is as simple as double clicking on the name in the Address Book. Messages can be 160 characters long and a prompt lets users know how many characters have been used.

It’s a lot quicker then fiddling with the keys on a mobile phone and the message is sent as soon as the send button is pressed.

I tested Office SMS using the Optus SIM card from my mobile phone and all the contact information stored on the SIM showed up in the address book on the computer.

I found the system ran happily in the background while I continued using the PC for other tasks. An audio alert let me know when an incoming SMS was received.

New addresses can be added and groups can be created making it easy to send one message to multiple users.

All messages sent and received are logged so business users have a complete record of SMS correspondence which could be printed out.

Office SMS can only be used to communicate via SMS and does not offer voice capabilities.

The unit requires a standard SIM card and SMS charges are billed by the carrier who supplies the SIM.

Users should shop around for the lowest possible plan from a mobile carrier as the SIM card will in most case only be used for SMS. Some carriers have special offers with big blocks of SIMs available at heavy discounts.

Last week I started receiving SMS advertising on my mobile. Perhaps Australian companies are already using this gadget to target me.

It is also worth remembering that when sending one SMS to 100 mobile phones you will be charged for sending 100 SMS text messages and not just one.

Apart from the initial AU$699 purchase price of the Office SMS, that is basically it.

There is little printed documentation — the on-line help covers the basics.

Office SMS is compatible with all GSM networks and should work on any Windows 95 or later PC that has a free serial port.

Price AU$699
www.call-direct.com.au

By Richard Price, Editor, EnergyME.com

For information on getting a product reviewed email richard@energyme.com