How To E-mail A Text Message... Plus Popular Shortcuts, Abbreviations, Internet Slang & 'Leet' Tips

There's More Than One Way To Send A Text Message

Yes, you could sit there with your tiny cell phone in hand and click through all of the individual number keys that represent the letters... until you've compiled a brief Text Message to send to someone else's cell phone -- all in a matter of... MINUTES.

But, if you're near a computer, why not just zip out a short & sweet e-mail message to your pal in a matter of SECONDS instead?

Personally, Text Messaging has always been a pain -- in my opinion. Now, I'm only going to use "the old fashioned method" if I'm away from the computer, and I have to get a message to someone right away.

Test it out yourself! All you need to do is send an e-mail to your cell phone at the address indicated below...

Here's What You Need To Know:

• Cingular customers: number@cingularme.com or use this form. (BONUS TIP: If you have a camera phone, you can send a picture to number@mms.mycingular.com.)
  
• Verizon customers: number@smsc.vzpacifica.net or use this online form
  
• Sprint customers: use this online form
  
• T-Mobile customers: number@tmomail.net or use this online form
  
• Nextel customers: number@messaging.nextel.com
  
• Cricket customers: use this online form
  
• Alltel customers: use this online form
  

Or, you could just use Teleflip to send text messages to friends' cell phones from your computer!

Leave it to Yahoo!...

Yahoo takes it a step farther, making it possible for you to send a Text Message to ANYone with ANY cell phone service (works great for those cases when you don't KNOW what service someone subscribes to). Simply, go to http://mobile.yahoo.com/sms/sendsms and type in your friend's phone number and your brief message.

Even cooler yet, Yahoo makes it possible for you to download games ($6 to download), transfer your camera phone photos, get personal mobile alerts (weather, news, stocks, sports scores, etc.), and even read your Yahoo e-mail from your cell phone! For example, here are the specifics for MY cell phone, the Motorola V400 Camera Phone.

Shortcuts To Keep Your Text Messages Brief

Emoticons (...do YOU know how to display "This rocks!" in 3 symbols or less?!)

Abbreviations (...popular shortcuts to get your point across using fewer letters.)

Shorthand (...similar to abbreviations, this shorthand dictionary will keep you in the loop with popular jargon.)

Lingo (...if you're hip and you know it, then be sure to use hip lingo when you're text messaging!)

Computer Slang (...written for parents to help them understand what their kids are saying, but it works in text messaging too.)

Urban Dictionary (...to help you make sense of what "those kids" are talking about!)

Acronyms & What They Mean (...see what roflol and imho and other acronyms mean in computer speak.)

Teen Chat Decoder (...see what today's youth are REALLY saying.)

Internet Slang Dictionary & Translator (...understand the "leet" language used by kids online)

So, there you have it. Now you can talk more without saying a word!