Category Archives: cellphone

Send Text Messages Via Email

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Did you know you can use email to send text messages to patrons’ mobile phones? Use the patron’s ten-digit phone number with the domain name of their service provider’s SMS (Short Message Service) gateway. For example, 4021237890@vtext.com.
 
Alltel @message.alltel.com
AT&T @txt.att.net
Boost Mobile @myboostmobile.com 
Cingular @cingularme.com
Cox @sms.cox.net
Cricket @sms.mycricket.com
Nextel @messaging.nextel.com
Sprint @messaging.sprintpcs.com 
T-mobile @tmomail.net
Tracfone (use fonefinder website)
VoiceStream @voicestream.net
Verizon @vtext.com
Virgin Mobile @vmobl.com
U.S. Cellular @email.uscc.net
 
You can use http://www.fonefinder.net to get the service provider for the patron’s phone number.

QR-Codes

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img Ever seen a QR-Code? Those odd-looking “square bar-codes” made up of a bunch of little squares? Did you know that many cell phones today can see one view one through their camera and then react accordingly? Reactions include displaying a message or even sending the user to a URL. If your phone doesn’t do this natively, there are programs that you can add. (On my Windows Mobile phone I’ve installed iNigma to handle QR-Codes.)

The RMIT library in Australia posted a QR-Code on one of their desks and told users that they could win a prize by reading the code. (I know what it says but you need a student number to claim your prize.) What a wonderful way to learn how many of your users know how to take advantage of this technology.

Why not try this in your library? Just head on over to the QR-Code Generator to make your own.