An instant recipe

KEEPING IN touch through e-mail is passe; two other technologies are waiting in the wings. Instant Messaging (IM) and SMS or Short Messaging Service (SMS).

IM is a technology which allows you to have virtual real-time text conversations with people who are simultaneously connected to the internet. This gives you an experience of talking to a person who is on your 'active list'. Newer versions of these messengers provide even voice chat and video conferencing.

So, ready to try your hand at 'instant' conversations? The first step is to have an e-mail account with the service provider. For instance, if you want to use MSN messenger, you have to sign up for a Hotmail account first. Then, ready your "Buddy List". Your friends should also have an e-mail account with the same provider. This means that IM is restricted to that particular service provider. Besides e-mail providers, independent softwares like ICQ (short for 'I Seek You') facilitate more user-friendly options for hardcore chat addicts with exclusive chatrooms on any believable topic under the sun. Indian e-mail providers - at least those who have not yet gone "fee-mail" - have also been bitten by the 'messaging' bug. For instance, "Rediff Bol" is 'apna' version of IM and is giving others a tough competition.

Mobile phones and text messaging

When Internet technology met mobile phone services, the result was WAP or Wireless Applications Protocol which enabled users to access the Web from their cell phones. But can the hassle of going via Internet be avoided through "Short Messaging Service" - a digital cellular network, which allows you to send short text messages to and from digital cell phones or other mobile devices. SMS is cost-effective, delivers messages instantly, does not hinder the cell phone operations and also there is no need to call an access number. Another advantage is that, unlike Web- based IM, the person at the other end doesn't need to have the mobile device on. He or she will receive the message whenever the device is switched on.

SMS actually uses a "Store and Forward" system that transmits messages through a virtual gateway, after being processed by an SMS service centre. But a major constraint is the length of messages. Most SIM card providers put a limit on the number of characters an SMS message can contain. But it's still worth it, as the service is usually free or at a nominal cost.

An estimated 16 billion SMS messages are sent globally every month. In India, the trend is catching up fast among the young and we even have music channels cashing in on the SMS wave. Recently, MTV kicked off a show called MTV U-Pop, where viewers can discuss a 'topic of the day' by sending SMS messages, which is scrolled on the TV screens while your favourite music video plays in the background. To participate in this programme, one has to register by giving a username and password through the mobile phone.

The next level of messaging is already being prototyped by a few companies - Unified Messaging. This allows messages in any format - text, voice, fax, SMS, e-mail to be converted and delivered to the addressee on the platfom of choice. If you have just a telephone and someone sends you a text message, the software will automatically synthesise the voice and read out the message to you. On the other hand, you can telephone a message to someone who carries a hand-held computer. The system will then convert your voice into text and pop it on the screen!

With more and more free e-mail providers going the pay way, it may not be long before Internet-based instant messaging too becomes a pricey affair.

A. VISHNU

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