SMS: contacts group, distribution list, categories... NO ?

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mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
I can't imagine I just got the latest toy and the whole thing made a step backwards...

I cannot send an SMS to a specific group of people among my contacts if not choosing each of them one by one each time...

I have many different group of people I send SMS' to and I was used to have lists on SmartSMS while using a SmartPhone and also distribution lists and categories on Outlook while at the desk...

With Wizard it seems there are no solutions... I have tried almost all of the trial SMS managers out there, but it seems I have no luck...

I've spent the last two days looking for a solution (either within WM5 or as an addon...). No luck...

Do you have any hint ?

Is there anyone wishing to develop something like above explained ?

Thank you very much...
Best regards...

Mix
 

peteborota

Member
Nov 29, 2005
16
1
London
for a OS of such quality it is an appalling lapse by MS

We should all email them a support question and ask them if it will be included in the next release??
 

mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
Re: for a OS of such quality it is an appalling lapse by MS

peteborota said:
We should all email them a support question and ask them if it will be included in the next release??

I've tried a little bit to use InfoSharp to send SMS to contacts within a category (fortunately there is such chance on this small and nice program...). The program itself is not yet "finished" but it does the job...

I'll post my suggestion to the developer, hoping that growing, it will become better.

About sending our comments to Microsoft: well, I personally think it would be nice, but it would be nicer if our suggestions could be "understood" in any way. It seems to me this rarely happens.
Not to mention the function I'm looking for was present in WM2003SE !!!

Maybe too many shrimps are eaten within MS... ;-)

Ciao
Mix

P.S. Actually ANY SUGGESTION on this matter would help, as it seems there still is not solution...
 

peteborota

Member
Nov 29, 2005
16
1
London
Hi guys have found an app for sending sms by category group

The app is called 'simplysms' and is developed by a company called visual IT.

It's not windows 5 compatible at the moment although I am waiting for a response from the developers.

I'll keep people posted.

Website: www.visualit.co.uk
 

mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
Re: Hi guys have found an app for sending sms by category gr

peteborota said:
The app is called 'simplysms' and is developed by a company called visual IT.

It's not windows 5 compatible at the moment although I am waiting for a response from the developers.

I'll keep people posted.

Website: www.visualit.co.uk

Is seems they have no plans developing any WM5 version of such program, otherwise something would have appeared on their website...

I think then there is no other option to keep a Nokia phone in my pocket too... but then I don't need an HTC pocket PC... I can run with another one with no phone functions as I did in the past... :cry:

Any other news ???

Ciao
 

GerooTech

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2005
370
11
It is very helpful utility if we can find it

if we can have such an application it will be very greate
 

peteborota

Member
Nov 29, 2005
16
1
London
SimplySMS for windows 5 will be launched in March

Had an email from Visualit the makers of simplysms. They will be releasing a windows mobile 5 version of the software in March this year.

It will allow users to send a text to a outlook category of contacts.

Hold on it's round the corner.
 

mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
Re: SimplySMS for windows 5 will be launched in March

peteborota said:
Had an email from Visualit the makers of simplysms. They will be releasing a windows mobile 5 version of the software in March this year.

It will allow users to send a text to a outlook category of contacts.

Hold on it's round the corner.

march ? March ? MARCH ???

It's on next century !!! I'll have switched to another phone by that date...

I'll have to wait then, but I'm looking around for another solution... pretty tired of hand-choosing between my contacts...

Thanks a lot anyway... the fault is not yours... it's MS' first of all...

Ciao
 

ZeBoxx

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2005
915
3
You could create a shortcut with the recipients pre-listed. E.g.

Text message colleagues.lnk
32#"tmail.exe" -to "06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx" -service ""

Will prompt the messaging app with a new message. If you last used Hotmail/whatever, though - it won't start a new text message, but a new e-mail/whatever.

If you want to be able to pick the account, use instead:
32#"tmail.exe" -to "06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx"

If you want to add a default message, use :
32#"tmail.exe" -to "06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx" -body "Text here"

-----

You can also use vijay555's VJSMS to always send a text message, regardless of what account you're in.
32#"\Program Files\vijay555\VJSMS.exe" "06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx" -body "Text here"

http://www.vijay555.com/index.php?Releases:VJPhoneTools

-----

Essentially, all the above are more like 'templates' than they are group text message tools. If you have a new person you want to add to a 'group', you'll have to manually adjust the shortcut.

On the other hand - it's available now, and freely.
 

mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
ZeBoxx said:
You could create a shortcut with the recipients pre-listed. E.g.

Text message colleagues.lnk
32#"tmail.exe" -to "06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx; 06xxxxxxx" -service ""

[...omissis...]

Essentially, all the above are more like 'templates' than they are group text message tools. If you have a new person you want to add to a 'group', you'll have to manually adjust the shortcut.

On the other hand - it's available now, and freely.

Thank you very much for the helpful hint... the main problem anyway is always the same: I use distribution lists so I don't have to bother on updates of contacts details. I just keep them updated and I have the result.

There is anyway a major problem on the hint you just gave me: line limitation...

WM5 accepts for example multiple recipients on the "To:" field but the problem is I still do not know which is the maximum number (I suppose it depends on how long the "To:" field can be, maybe max 255 char.).

The same problem applies to your hint: I suppose there is still the limitation of 255 chars... or not ? ;-)

Thanks anyway.
 

ZeBoxx

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2005
915
3
yeah, I have no idea what the maximum length is :)

Of course, for Dutch numbers, 10 chars length, 11 if I include that semicolon, that's still 25 numbers ;) Sending an SMS to 25 people should be more than enough for me ;)

You could also write a mort script to call VJSMSSend a gazillion times :>

The former issue is the bigger one - I hate updating lists, myself. There shouldn't be anything holding developers back from implementing mailing lists, using info from the contacts POOM, and setting up SMS's (setting up and sending an SMS is a MSDN example, so.. pff)

I'm no developer, though - I just managed to get "Hello world" running a few days ago, and then I got sick - so no long computer times for me :)
 

jasvinder

Member
Mar 8, 2006
13
0
SMS Distribution Lists

Having Upgraded to a qtek 9100 from a nokia 9300 communicator for better windows/outlook compatibility etc, I have been searching for something to fill the gap for SMS Distribtion lists.

I understand from reading other posts than previous versions of Windows mobile did offer this, aswell as being able to play different ringtones depending on chich caller group a call was originating from.

Has there been any new information on SMS Distribution lists for the HTC Wizard phones?

Also, is there any way to actually just select "send new txt message" rather than go to messaging and browse to the correct account/ folder to achieve this?

Regards
Jass
 

mix

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2004
60
1
Re: SMS Distribution Lists

jasvinder said:
Having Upgraded to a qtek 9100 from a nokia 9300 communicator for better windows/outlook compatibility etc, I have been searching for something to fill the gap for SMS Distribtion lists.

Welcome in the "unsatisfied club"...

I understand from reading other posts than previous versions of Windows mobile did offer this, aswell as being able to play different ringtones depending on chich caller group a call was originating from.

I have never seen, nor in previous versions, a real "group" as we were used with Nokias...

Some thirdy party programs do that anyway (and it's good enough such programs exists...).

Has there been any new information on SMS Distribution lists for the HTC Wizard phones?

Unfortunately, no... I have been looking around for a lot of time and finally I found a solution: I kept a Nokia 6230 in my bag, just for this kind of use...

I know, it's stupid... but much more less stupid than preventing me using this feature on a WM5 device !!!

Also, is there any way to actually just select "send new txt message" rather than go to messaging and browse to the correct account/ folder to achieve this?

Different approach: select the contact you need to send the SMS to and select "Send new SMS" from the options. You'll have the editor opening with the "To:" field already filled...

Hope this helps a little...

Ciao
 

ZeBoxx

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2005
915
3
Re: SMS Distribution Lists

jasvinder said:
Also, is there any way to actually just select "send new txt message" rather than go to messaging and browse to the correct account/ folder to achieve this?

Download the attached file, extract the included shortcut to your PPC, and run it - see if that works for you. If it does, you'll note that there's "to" and "body" fields that you can fill out if you want (e.g. a pre-composed message to your boss saying that you'll be on your lunch break)

For some more advanced SMS stuff, try VJPhoneTools:
http://www.vijay555.com/index.php?Releases:VJPhoneTools

Or one of the many commercial SMS apps
 

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jasvinder

Member
Mar 8, 2006
13
0
The download when unzipped only contains a shortcut which is not valid.

CAn we download it from your website?
 

ZeBoxx

Senior Member
Dec 29, 2005
915
3
it's supposed to only contain a shortcut :)

Code:
32#windows\tmail.exe -service "SMS" -to "" -body ""

If you don't have a "tmail.exe" in your device's "Windows" folder, then indeed it's probably invalid. Try searching for that file on your device, see if it's elsewhere. If it's not, or you can't find it, just use one of VJ's tools instead :)