AIM is an easy and free way to send SMS text messages.
Instant messages and SMS messages are very similar. One day the two will be completely interchangable and probably more popular than email. Recently this integration has begun.
With all modern versions of AIM, users can send SMS messages to most mobile SMS-capable devices.
1. Click IM
2. In the “To” field enter the phone number in the following format:
+12223334444
The leading “+1” is required before the 10 digit phone number.
This will work with any IM client that uses the AIM protocol too. Here is me demonstrating it using the adium client:
Some phone services will let you reply to AIM as well; however, this is not yet standard. Here is my iPhone receiving and replying back to the text message:
AIM now has a related new feature as well. You can “add mobile” numbers to your buddy list just as easy as adding other AIM accounts.
1. Click Setup
2. Click Add Mobile
3. Insert number as directed.
