Hello everyone,
We have just launched a new application called SMSXtender
SMSXtender is a small (5.5k) midlet that allows you to send SMS messages to destinations all over the world for just 0.07 EUR/message. It also allows you to "tweak" your SMS messages in ways that are impossible from a regular phone:
1. You can alter the phone number that the message appears to have come from. Want to play tricks on your friends? Send them messages that appear to have come from their own phone number (or from their girlfriends 😉 )
2. You can even set an alphanumeric sender id (a name). It is limited to 12 characters, but that's enough to send a message from J. Lopez to a Jennifer Lopez fan 😊
3. You can send Flash SMS messages that are instantly displayed on the receiver's phone. The receiver doesn't have to press any buttons to read your message, it just pops up on their screen.
The application costs EUR 9.95 and includes 10 initial credits. If you need more, you can purchase packs of 100 credits.
More details on our site (http://www.simeda.com/smsxtender.html) or on Handango (http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?productType=2&optionId=1_10_2&platformId=10&siteId=1&productId=83923&sectionId=0&catalog=90).
Enjoy 😊
Razvan
And this also works on the P800?? (since you only posted screenshots of Series 60 phones...)
Yes, it's a J2ME application so it should work without any problems on the P800. Since you're the first person to ask this, if you have a P800, email me at [email protected] and I will provide you with a free trial + some demo credits.
Razvan
Thanks. I do own a P800, already mailed you. Awaiting your reply... 😊
So we have to buy the application as well as credits, ill give it a miss then. Id be willing to pay a higher price for the app alone with unlimited messages or a free app and then buy credits but not both, particulary as there is no demo.
Stezos
[quote="Stezos"] Id be willing to pay a higher price for the app alone with unlimited messages [/quote]
I tend to agree.
Ok, thanks for your feedback, we'll give it some thought and see if we can come up with some kind of variation over our current sales scheme. Would you rather pay more for the application if it included more credits (let's say 100 or 200 credits)? Or would you rather pay more than 7 EUR / 100 credits if the application were free?
Razvan
Unfortunately we can't offer an "unlimited plan" since our SMS provider does not offer one ... We pay for every single SMS sent.
Razvan
[quote="drazvan"]Ok, thanks for your feedback, we'll give it some thought and see if we can come up with some kind of variation over our current sales scheme. Would you rather pay more for the application if it included more credits (let's say 100 or 200 credits)? Or would you rather pay more than 7 EUR / 100 credits if the application were free?
Razvan[/quote]
Putting the 10 credits that you get bungled with the app aside, its only of use if the buy credits so why charge for the application if it cant be used unless you continue to buy credits from you? I would like to see the app be free so that we can install it and see what the interface is like etc (if its anything like SMSSend was that was i right pain to navigate) then if we like what we see we could then buy a few credits to test it out, say about 10 for a small fee then if it works well we can continue to use it buying them in bundles of 100. There are providers out there that put huge restrictions on what can be accessed via gprs luckily mine isnt one of them, so its no good for some people if they have to pay 10euros only to find they cant use it.
Stezos
Id also like to know how the credits system works. Are they deducted from your account by registering your phone number in which case only one phone could be used or does it use a username/password system in whick case I would imagine i would be able to use the same account on a P800 and a 7650 with different sim cards?
Stezos
First about the credit system: it's username/password based so you can use it on as many phones as you like. You have to buy the application once and you can use it on as many phones as you like (provided they're all yours, we do not allow a single account to be used by multiple users).
As for the price, if you purchase from our website, we have a 7 day no questions asked refund policy. We will refund your purchase price minus the cost of the initial credits (70 euro cents). So in any case, you only risk 70 cents if our application doesn't work. We are considering alternative pricing schemes, we're just waiting to collect more feedback from early adopters.
Razvan
Here are some initial screenshots on the P800 (many thanks to Flint on My-Symbian):
Razvan
[quote="drazvan"]First about the credit system: it's username/password based so you can use it on as many phones as you like. [/quote]
Thats great I was hoping it was. Ill wait and see what happens with the pricing system then might give this a try.
Thanks for answering my questions
Stezos
If you want to check the coverage area for SMSXtender go to http://www.simeda.com/smsxtender-coverage.html. Please note that only the receiver of the message must be in the coverage area, the sender just needs a data connection (GPRS or CSD).
Razvan
damn, no tmobile or o2 in UK, i agree about not paying for the app but for the credits as no hack or crak would be able to retrieve these credits if you process them all
We will add additional networks to our coverage, but some of the new destinations will be available at more than 1 credit/message. I have only listed the destinations that are available at 1 credit. If people show interest for certain networks and/or countries, we will add them. So speak up! 😊
Razvan
oh, well personally, i'd recommened the main UK operaters, o2, orange (which you do) vodafon (which you do) and also t-mobile, guernsay and the other one i'm not sure who's on them...i'm not sure if they're even used now
Anyone who've tried this program mind writing a little something about how well it works? :angel:
If you're interested, I can send you a demo copy of the software + 10 test credits if you're willing to review it for the AAS boards. I just expect an honest review, with the good and the bad. If you're interested, please send an email to [email protected]
Razvan
Thank you, Razvan. Here's my initial thoughts about your SMSXtender:
First of all it's a Java Midlet so the graphics isn't as "pretty" as Personal Java apps, or well integrated into the OS as native Symbian c++ applications, but it's really small in size, only about 5KB, and it works surprisingly well. Once the message is sent, it will be delivered to the recipient immediately, just like sending an SMS the traditional way.
You have the option of making any name or number (within 12 characters) displayed as the sender of the message, and the message can be sent as a "flash" message where it will just pop up on the recipients screen without them pressing any button. -It would be nice here to actually have the message flashing/blinking on the recipients screen, but it's fun nevertheless. 😊
It seems like a fun little app you can use to kid around (-or freak out) with your friends.
I only have one complaint/suggestion, and that's that the "Destination number" field should have a shortcut to your contacts so you don't have to manually enter the number each time you want to send a message.
Here's some screenshots:
Great! Thanks! Do I have your permission to use the screenshots?
Razvan
I am a little unclear about this, perhaps someone would be kind enough to advise. I understand that the applications initial cost is 10 euro. Each sms is 0.07 euro charged in advance by the company providing this service, and one needs a gprs connection to use this. What is the one message one credit on about? Will one be charged by their own mobile phone provider aswell? Will this charge be for sending a text message or for the data transferred through gprs. On Orange in the UK, whether you send an sms via GSM or GPRS makes no difference to the amount you are charged, which is the sms charge not the data charge. What I'm after is the full cost implications of this, can anyone exlain?
BTW, I totally feel that this application should be provided free as there are ongoing costs for the use of it.
cheers
SMSXtender generates GPRS traffic of a maximum of 250 bytes per message. So in the worst case, you would generate 1 kilobyte of traffic for every 4 messages.
Razvan
[quote="crafti"]I am a little unclear about this....What is the one message one credit on about?[/quote]
I believe it means that, at the moment, for every service provider they have an agreement with, it costs one pre-paid credit (EURO 0.07) to send one message. However, in the future, as more service providers are added, this may not be the case. For example, it might cost two pre-paid credits (or EURO 0.14) to send one message to a user on a particular network.
Thanks for the further information. I appreciate that we are talking about a very low data useage however my concern is the manner in which the process occurs. On the p800 you can specify whether your sms text messages are sent via GSM or sent via GPRS. On Orange UK, even if you select GPRS for sms messages, and even though the sms has an extremely low data volume, Orange in the UK still charge the per message price for sending that sms text message. Can you clarify whether this application is sending an sms text message from the phone or, connecting to some other system through gprs?
thanks
SMSXtender completely bypasses your operator's SMS capabilities. It connects to our server and sends the message over TCP/IP. The server verifies the credits in your account and forwards the message to the destination. Your operator will only charge you for GPRS traffic, we take care of the SMS part 😊.
And yes, a credit is our prepaid charging unit. A credit costs 0.07 EUR and our current destinations (http://www.simeda.com/smsxtender-coverage.html) are available at 1 credit/message. Other destinations will be added in the near future, but some of them will be available at more than 1 credit/message. We will post a notification on our website when new destinations are added.
Razvan
that's very helpful. Well in that case I'm certainly happy to pre-pay for credits to use this system, assuming it works OK. However, as mentioned I do feel the application should be available for free as there are ongoing costs for it's useage, without which the application is totally useless. So, giving it away with say 1 credit (purely for testing), in my opinion would generate a better income stream and customer satisfaction level than the current charging model. I further do not think that removing it's initial cost while increasing the unit cost is a good idea. 0.07 euro is a reasonable charge and I think I would use it a fair bit. However, higher per message costs would not generate more income, just less useage.
Thanks to everyone who commented and helped me understand this better.
Cheers
I'm having too much fun with this app!!! 😃
Been sending messages from Darth Vader saying "Luke... I AM YOUR FATHER" etc... 😃
Wow,i'm playing the same game 😊
The first message i sent was from: The Borg ,saying:Resistance is futile! ,of course 😊