Say goodbye to email and hello to messaging. Mobile messaging apps are more popular than ever as they add social networking features, improve security, and compete to meet the demand for free mobile calling and texting services.
Established mobile apps like Facebook Messenger, Apple's FaceTime and Messages, and internet calling services like Skype, still dominate, but they have a pack of promising competitors. Almost all mobile messaging apps offer some form of free voice or video calling, and free mobile texting, over both Wi-Fi and the user's data plan.
What We Like
You can start a video or phone call.
Group messaging supports up to 250 people.
Supports end-to-end encryption.
Lets you send files as large as 100 MB.
Ad-free.
The enormously popular WhatsApp is a mobile text messaging app designed for smartphone users and tablets that lets you send text messages and make calls over the internet.
WhatsApp is really easy to understand and there isn't lots of 'fluff' to make it overwhelming like some apps. You can even set a status for all your contacts to see without having to message everyone.
WhatsApp also lets you share your location with recipients. You can view the other person's location without leaving the app because the map is built-in to WhatsApp.
In addition to having full voice calls, WhatsApp also supports sending voice recordings, which are little snippets of your voice that you can use in place of texting.
File sharing is another component of this messaging app. You can share files from your phone and computer.
Viber
What We Like
Short audio and video clips can be sent along with text.
You can make both video and audio calls.
Implements end-to-end encryption .
Includes stickers and GIFs.
Extensions let you share things like video and music right in the chat window.
You can send money through the app.
What We Don't Like
It's a bit much if all you're looking for is a simple messaging application.
is another free messaging app that works between phones, tablets, and computers. Anyone and everyone with the Viber app, regardless of their location, can text and call each other for free.
Some unique features in Viber include the ability to like and reply to messages in group conversations, use built-in stickers and GIFs, and the option to send short video messages.
Viber also has a feature called Communities which are group conversations that can contain unlimited members.
Some other features in this free mobile messaging app include the option to make cheap calls to non-Viber phones, a built-in QR code scanner, the ability to share your GPS location in conversations, and public chat channels that you can join.
Snapchat
What We Like
Makes it easy to send photos and short videos.
You can make phone calls and video calls.
Regular text messaging is supported.
Great for storing private photos.
Images can contain filters, effects, and drawings.
Huge user-base.
What We Don't Like
The overall design of the app can make it confusing to use.
No easy option to save regular incoming images.
Snapchat differs from most mobile communication apps in that it specializes in sending multimedia messages with a particular feature: they disappear.
Anything you send will self-destruct after a predetermined (by you) amount of time. The short-lived nature of Snapchat messages has made the app controversial yet popular.
Messages are sent through Snapchat in a variety of ways. You can send a regular picture message with or without text, that expires after so many seconds or when the recipient is finished viewing it.
There's also a way to send text messages without sending pictures. When you do this, the recipient can save the text inside the chat box, else it will disappear after leaving that window. Also within the chat box is a way to send photos so that the other user can save those, too.
Like some of these other mobile messaging apps, Snapchat can also read QR codes. Just tap and hold any QR code from the camera view to open the website or image behind the code.
Snapchat uses what's called Snapcash to send and receive money from your phone.
Personalized cartoon avatars are also available in this messaging app that make it fun for friends to identify you.
Telegram
What We Like
Supports not only text messaging but also audio calls.
Themes let you change the way the app looks.
Includes lots of stickers, with more as free downloads.
You can reply to specific messages in a thread.
Supports short voice messages.
What We Don't Like
Seems to attract lots of spam messages.
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging service that promises fast and secure messages. It's accessible from all of your devices at the same time and supports some killer features.
Unlike most messaging apps, Telegram can both edit and delete messages even after you've sent them.
Telegram also has a Secret Chat feature that lets you send timed messages so that after they're sent, and once the time limit is reached, the messages are automatically deleted.
You can also mute notifications for a specific number of minutes, send files from the app or website, and share your location.
LINE
What We Like
Allows for sending and receiving money.
Huge user base.
Group calling supports 200 people.
Safely store content within the app's Keep feature.
What We Don't Like
It's a bit much if all you're after is a mobile messaging solution.
is a text messaging and voice calling app that adds a social entertainment layer with its networking and gaming features.
Use LINE for free one-on-one and group chats with any of your friends anywhere. Call your friends and family as often as you want with free voice and video calls available domestically and internationally.
The LINE app also includes a collection of quirky and charming cartoon characters and stickers designed to make communications more fun.
The core communication features are all free, but LINE offers premium stickers, themes, and games for a fee. LINE Out purchases let you talk to anyone anywhere, even if they don't use the LINE app.
Google Hangouts
What We Like
Voice and video calls support up to 10 people.
Integrates with your Google account.
Google Voice users can send texts to non-Hangouts users.
What We Don't Like
Alert sounds cannot be customized per contact.
No built-in GIF gallery.
is a messaging app from Google. It supports text messages, phone calls, and video calls between any other Google Hangouts user.
You can have private, one-on-one conversations as well as group chats for up to 150 people. The app lets you share videos, photos, stickers, and emoji.
Google Hangouts also lets you share your location with others directly from the app, suppress all notifications for any conversation, favorite a conversation to have easier access to it, and archive messages to declutter the conversation view.
Voxer
What We Like
Voice messaging is quick and easy.
Files can be shared from Dropbox.
GIFs are built in, available through GIPHY.
Status updates can be posted on your profile.
What We Don't Like
Lots of features are only available after payment.
Voxer is known as a walkie-talkie, or push-to-talk app because it delivers voice messages live. The recipient — an individual or a group — can listen immediately or listen later. The message is either instantly played through your friend's phone speakers if the phone is turned on and the app is running, or it's stored as a recorded message like voicemail.
Voxer also supports texting, photo messaging, and emoticons, as well as military-grade security and encryption.
Location sharing is another features in Voxer that lets you send your current location, or check in to a nearby location, directly from the chat window.
You can also make notes to yourself, star and share messages, and enable what's called Extreme notifications to get repeated alerts and louder sounds.
Voxer Pro is the only way to get some features, like unlimited message storage, admin controlled chats, message recall, Extreme notifications, chat broadcasting, hands-free walkie-talkie mode, and more.
HeyTell
What We Like
You don't need to create a user account.
All the options and features are self-explanatory.
Stores a history of past messages.
Messages you've sent can be shared over other apps like email.
What We Don't Like
Unable to cancel a message while it's in progress.
HeyTell is another push-to-talk app that allows instant voice messaging. The app presents you with a
button that you tap to speak a message to a recipient.
A push notification tells the recipient when a voice message is received, after which it will play when the open the app. Or, if the recipient has the app open at the time of the message, it will play for them automatically.
One thing that sets this messaging app apart from most others is that you don't have to make a user account to get started. Just enter your name and start adding contacts by their phone number or email address; they just have to tap the link to add you as a contact.
The app is free, but there are in-app premium options for advanced features like ringtones, a voice changer, message expiration, and more.
Talkatone
What We Like
Works like a normal phone number.
Includes free calling, texting, and picture messaging.
Has a GIF gallery built in.
Your phone number can be changed at any time.
What We Don't Like
Can only get numbers from Canada or the U.S.
International calling isn't free (however, it is when calling other Talkatone users).
Your number will expire if not used within a 30 day period.
Includes ads.
Talkatone offers free voice calling and text messaging over Wi-Fi or data plans. It essentially turns your tablet into a phone even if it doesn't have a cellular plan, and lets you use your phone without affecting any texting or calling limitations.
The app can call not only other Talkatone users but even regular phones, like landlines and other cell phones that don't have the app. When you sign up, you get a real phone number for free.
This messaging app works much like your regular phone's calling and texting features. You can change ringtones, hide texts from showing in notifications, change your voicemail greeting, block numbers, access your phone's contacts, and more.
If you want to use Talkatone to call internationally, you can either complete in-app offers to get free calling credits, or purchase credits.
Talkatone Plus can be purchased within the app for $3.99 /month to get more features. With it, you'll get a number that doesn't expire even if you quit using it after 30 days, call forwarding, voicemail transcriptions, and more.
You can also remove ads within the app for $1.99 /month, and get unlimited international calling for $12.99 /month.
Silent Phone
Free Pc To Mobile Texting
What We Like
Centered around encryption and privacy.
Lets you send documents, videos, and images (up to 100 MB).
A real phone number isn't required.
Silent Phone is an app that features voice, video, and text messaging. Calls and texts between Silent Phone users are encrypted end-to-end on mobile devices.
Silent Phone supports one-to-one video chat, multi-party voice conferencing for up to six participants, and voice memos. The built-in Burn feature lets you set an auto-destruct time for your text messages, from one minute to three months.
To make calls to phones not using the Silent Phone app, you can subscribe to Silent World.
I'll be travelling to parts of Morocco and I need to find a reliable way for my relatives at home to let me know daily that they are OK. They are elderly, rather deaf, and not good on the phone, but they can manage email and Facebook. There appear to be programs that enable you to send emails as SMS messages from a PC to a mobile phone, which might be a solution, but I'm not sure which are safe and reliable. My mobile phone is fairly basic and on a pay-as-you-go service with T-Mobile.
Carol
If your relatives can handle email, then the simplest idea is for them to use emails to send SMS messages to your phone. Many mobile networks and independent companies offer email-to-SMS gateways that do this, though the commercial ones charge for sending bulk texts. Usually, you send the email to the international mobile phone number followed by the supplier's email address. In other words, the address will be something like 447712345678@emailsmsgateway.co.uk, where you replace the opening 0 with the UK country code, 44.
Free Pc To Cell Phone Text
T-Mobile used to offer this as a free service via @t-mobile.uk.net and perhaps it still does. (I believe both Vodafone and O2 have dropped similar services.) You can test it by sending yourself an SMS.
Wikipedia has a big table of SMS gateways, which you can sort by region to get all the UK services together. However, all the ones I looked at were commercial services aimed at volume users. List of all wii games.
PC users generally use websites to send the odd free SMS text message. There are quite a lot of these, and I don't know which is best. I tried half a dozen, and the two websites that delivered quickly were e-freesms and, about 10 minutes later, SMS Frog. The other four SMS messages failed to arrive within 12 hours, so again, you need to test whichever service you choose.
Both e-freesms and SMS Frog require you to fill in a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart), which means typing some letters into a box. Here, SMS Frog is much the easier of the two. (SMS Frog also says: 'Messages can be sent to United Kingdom mobile numbers exclusively', but I assume this means UK mobile numbers even if the phone is abroad.)
You have to be a bit careful because some sites are 'free to send' but not necessarily 'free to receive'. With 'reverse charge services', the recipient gets a free SMS alert, but they have to pay perhaps £1 to £3 to pick it up. (For example, by sending GET to a chargeable number.) However, US-based readers can use AIM, or AOL Instant Messenger, which supports sending SMS messages to US mobile numbers free of charge.
One of my Twitter followers, Paul Fald, recently asked a similar question: 'Can anyone recommend a reliable and possibly FREE online SMS messaging site – sending to all UK mobiles?' Stuart Mitchell, a telecom professional made some suggestions, but he warned: 'please don't go free … you won't get QoS [quality of service] that way and have many headaches.'
In the end, Paul decided to use http://www.vyke.com/ at 3 1/2p per text with a £5 minimum purchase. You have to register to use the service, but as he pointed out, it's cheaper than using Skype at 5.9p per message, where 'You must purchase Skype Credit or a Premium Account.'
You also mention that your elderly relatives use Facebook, so it would be a good idea for them to send you Facebook messages as a back-up. With Facebook notifications, you can get these messages sent to your email address, so you can check them when you have access to a PC, if not on your mobile phone.
Free Pc To Mobile Sms
Finally, if your relatives have their own mobile phone or tablet, they may be able to send you SMS messages directly, or use one of the many 'free SMS' apps. I appreciate that it can be very hard for some people to use a mobile phone's small onscreen keyboard, but perhaps that problem could be solved by using a large external Bluetooth keyboard like the Anker (£17.99 from Amazon,co.uk). According to the blurb, this works with the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, Android 3.0 and above, and Windows Mobile 5.0 and above.
Which tablet for displaying photos and videos?
I'm a new videographer/photographer, and I was looking into getting a tablet to display my work? Which one would you consider for videos and photos?
dutchofspadez
I answered a similar question in February: What's the best tablet for a photographer with a DSLR?
If money is not a problem, and if you also want to run programs such as Adobe Lightroom and video editors such as Sony Vegas Pro 12, then I'd go for the second-generation Microsoft Surface Pro 2, which is on pre-order. However, this would be overkill just for displaying your work. For that, I'd look at the new Google Nexus 7 Android tablets, which has a high-resolution 7in 1920 x 1200-pixel screen (323 pixels per inch) at a low price (£199).
If a 7in screen is too small, you could move up to a 32GB Google Nexus 10, which has a 10in 2560 x 1600-pixel (300ppi) screen for £349. This compares with £479 for a 32GB Apple iPad with a 9.7in 2048 x 1536-pixel (264ppi) Retina display.
However, don't rule out the iPad or Windows tablets like the forthcoming 8in Dell Venue 8 Pro and 11 Pro. The most important thing is to choose a tablet that supports the file formats you are creating, especially if you are using a RAW format for photos. Yes, you can use a PC to convert files to a suitable tablet format, but you don't want to spend more time converting videos than watching them.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 2
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