Intermediate Level Article
Q: Can I send SMS messages from/using my Outlook contact phone numbers on my computer?
A: Yep!
All you need is a GSM mobile phone you've configured your computer to connect to; a copy of Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and the free Microsoft add-in, (LATER - read on first!) downloadable from the above link.
The tricky bit is getting your computer "talking to" your phone. Of course pre-requisite is a phone capable of such connection, so if it's 3-4yrs old, you're probably flat out of luck, though connections may be possible with relatively inexpensive interface cables (USB is best but may not be an option), if you've no nice, wireless infra-red or Bluetooth handset options.
In any case your phone manual should provide the substantive instructions on how to set up a connection in Windows. That's what you're after. Though the procedure of setting up a connection in Windows is prerequisite to (and often detailed in the context of) connecting to the internet, you'll not be using the internet with this software solution. Once you've got a connection to your phone configured in Windows, you can select it in the Outlook SMS add-in and that's it all ready to go.
You can compose/send SMS messages and reconfigure your settings from your new Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Add-In toolbar, as shown opposite.
Since SMS infers short text messages via mobile only, it's not a bad idea to set the toggle to ignore contacts w/o mobile numbers to save time adding message recipients, though this does rely upon your contact's mobile numbers having been correctly specified in Outlook as such!
You'll find the message compose and send dialog self-explanatory.
Set messages are retained in a discrete "SMS" Sent Items sub-folder.
Advantages in using Outlook in this way include: automatic retention, archiving (as determined by your own Outlook auto-archive settings) and searchability of messages; as well as ergonomic and efficient use of your contacts' phone info in Outlook on your PC. Price is right (free), light on additional resource requirements and is robust. For best effect ensure that you're also regularly synchronising your phone data to Outlook.
Drawbacks are pre-requisite requirement for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and limited functionality of the free Microsoft add-in, inferring that messages are only sent, not received back into Outlook. Also got to have Office 2003 - doesn't work with preceding versions.
Happy SMSing :)
World News Headlines: 
Posted 5/01/2006 06:43:00 PM, Monday, 1 May 2006, by 
0 Comment(s)
Blog Links
