Any way to send texts through my phone using my tablet?

Nazo

Nazo

2[H]4U
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Apr 2, 2002
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So I just got a tablet. The one and only thing really that I'm currently kind of envying about my Apple toting parents is it seems like through iMessage they are able to receive and I believe even send texts using their iPads even to me with my Android phone. (And if I've misunderstood and it's nothing more than basically what Google Talk does, this is still an idea I'd like to see.)

I thought for a bit that Handcent's Gold service could do it when I looked over the part about their message box (particularly the part about it following you to all devices,) but upon rereading more carefully I've realized that they just mean you can store texts in there and read them on any device. I'm wondering if there isn't something I can just run on my phone to do this? I don't mean anything over the top like AirDroid which basically tries to fully control the whole device (I really don't want that running on my phone all the time and just use it when absolutely necessary) but something more simplistic meant just for texts. Also, I really don't want to give up my current use of Handcent on the phone and for that matter would like to use Handcent on the tablet as well if I could (it really is a very nice texting app IMO and it suits me perfectly.) Is there any sort of service or software that could be used that wouldn't be over-the-top like AirDroid that could maybe do this? (Especially it needs to not kill my phone's battery with a lot of resource usage or go nuts with mobile data or something since I'd have to just leave it on all the time.) I'm not adverse to the idea of paying for such a service, but can't afford much.
 
DeskSMS .... They released a tablet app to complement their chrome addin a few weeks ago (I remember reading this), i dont use my android tablet much anymore so i have yet to try it, use it with Chrome all the time, it is great
 
W.Feather said:
DeskSMS .... They released a tablet app to complement their chrome addin a few weeks ago (I remember reading this), i dont use my android tablet much anymore so i have yet to try it, use it with Chrome all the time, it is great
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This I used DeskSMS and TabletSMS I can reply to texts sent to my phone on my desktop (using an app) or via email and on my Transformer I can send/receive texrs.
texts
 
Looks good so far. It's too bad you can't use your favorite texting app on the tablet (if nothing else I can't even install Handcent since it shows up as not compatible) but so far so good.

I see it does require you to pay after an evaluation period. Someone says $5 in the comments on the app store, but nothing beyond that. Is this like $5 a month? Year? One time fee? Oddly enough their website seems to have no info about this that I could find...

EDIT: Uh oh. So far no good. Texts sent from the tablet show up on the phone as if I had sent them, but the other person never receives them. I'll try e-mailing the author, but I definitely won't be paying anything until AFTER it works...
 
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the $5 is a one year license. I have not had any of the problems you describe
 
Eh... That's not exactly very convenient you have to admit. I suppose it will do in an emergency, but other than that it's not worth it.

leezard said:
the $5 is a one year license. I have not had any of the problems you describe
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Ok. Well, I sent the author an e-mail, so my fingers are crossed. If it works out, $5 for a year is absolutely reasonable.
 
some providers even let you send the text from their own webpage. Enter the ph# and send the message
 
Ack! Somehow the stock Messaging app managed to get frozen (I must have mis-tapped at some point or other -- I guess since there are just so very many things to dig through in the list.) I defrosted it and now TabletSMS is able to send texts through DeskSMS on my phone.
 
Never being a big fan of the way DeskSMS handles this, although the dev is obviously very well known and he'll always support it.

I like Tablet Talk better. Tried TexTab and SyncSMS before Tablet Talk and they're both solid but TT seems to combine the best features of both. Being able to sync texts thru Bluetooth is nice when traveling, I can be watching a movie or playing a game on the tablet and text without taking my phone out of my pocket or having to tether the tablet to it.
 
Ah, but this way I don't have to keep them in range of each other. I don't mind taking the phone out and all, but sometimes I'm just going next door or something and would rather only bring one thing.
 
Tablet Talk actually allows you to text either via BT or over a data connection, that's why I said it combines the best aspects of SyncSMS (which uses Dropbox) and TexTab (BT IIRC).

There's also stuff like AirDroid for when you're at the PC, tho that goes well beyond texting.
 
Tablet Talk even lets you answer or initiate calls from the tablet if you're using a BT headset, it's like caller ID for your tablet. Has a bunch of neat features really, it can be set to send data over a tethered connection instead of standard data connection if you want to avoid carrier data use for some reason, etc.
 
I don't know... It's not very clear from the description, but it sounds like it just tries to connect directly to the phone (they even emphasize the privacy of not using third party servers) and I need it to work even if my phone and tablet are in completely different locations on different networks.
 
+1 for google voice, does everything you want it to do it would seem. Only downside is everyone would have to text your google number not cell.
 
iMessage on iPad seems to only send to people with iDevices.
I just tried to SMS my brother and it indicates that he isn't registered with iMessage.

I use google voice on the iPad to text to non apple people, but that uses my google voice number.
 
I wish I had GV as an option... Doesn't work down in Puerto Rico, damn you Google. Hell, Maps Navigation doesn't work even tho they've mapped the hell out of the island and the Maps app even does live traffic.
 
TWolf79 said:
+1 for google voice, does everything you want it to do it would seem. Only downside is everyone would have to text your google number not cell.
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Er, that kind of IS everything -- I have to be able to send/receive normal texts through the tablet.

So far DeskSMS actually works pretty beautifully. The only question left is whether TabletTalk maybe does it better or not (it would be nice if I at least knew when I received calls and who they were from, though I doubt I'd want to actually try to talk using the tablet,) but if it doesn't work through the Internet, only direct connections with the phone, it's just not going to cut it for what I really need.

EDIT: Yeah, I thought to look on their website since the description was a little doubtful and it definitely doesn't work over the Internet at all. I'll stick with DeskSMS. The TabletSMS interface may not be as nice as Handcent (especially I'm missing being able to use a different notification sound depending on who texted,) but otherwise it works just beautifully.
 
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