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40 Text Message Innovations

From Amputations by SMS to Texts from the Pope

— December 8, 2008 — Tech
Before the era of Twitter and 140-character micro-blogging, there was SMS and text messaging. It’s hard to believe how much text messaging has evolved since the early days of SMS-speak (C U L8R?).

Today’s texter can receive not only short messages from their friends, but also pictures, links and video. And they’ll receive messages from friends as well as their credit card company, spammers and third-party applications.

The minor inconvenience that SMS spam poses also allows a user to text message for some pretty sweet services. In Finland, SMS opens bathroom doors; elsewhere, Trapster lets you alert other drivers of speed traps, control UFOs and even read religious sermons.

These capabilities sound pretty superficial, but text messaging saved a Congolese boy’s life when British surgeon David Nott was faced with a decision to either perform an exceedingly risky amputation he’d never before conducted or let the boy die in the hospital. He text messaged a colleague, who had successfully performed the amputation, and received explicit details on how to conduct the procedure--all via SMS.
5.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
39
Food That Texts You When It Spoils
Food That Texts You When It Spoils
Mold Alerts
<
38
Hands-Free E-mail and SMS
Hands-Free E-mail and SMS
Jott Mobile Messaging
<
37
New Years Texting
New Years Texting
Millions Choose SMS Over Calls, Breaking Records
<
36
Social Tagging Via SMS
Social Tagging Via SMS
Text Your Location With Plazes
<
35
Chinese Are World's Most Active Texters
Chinese Are World's Most Active Texters
70% Prefer SMS to Email
<
34
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2.0
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2.0
ayePhone App Translates Text Messages
<
33
Automatic Car Secretaries
Automatic Car Secretaries
DriveAssist Intercepts Texts and Calls While Driving
<
32
Shopping by Text Message
Shopping by Text Message
Amazon TextBuyIt
<
31
Texting on the Run
Texting on the Run
Padded Lampposts Protect London SMSing Pedestrians
<
30
Emergency SMS Broadcasting
Emergency SMS Broadcasting
How Your Mobile Can Save Your Life
<
29
Contraception Via SMS
Contraception Via SMS
The PillBell Reminder
<
28
Giant Scale Public Texting
Giant Scale Public Texting
NYC Artist Asks Londoners About Street Crime
<
27
Next Gen Baby Naming
Next Gen Baby Naming
SMS Language Influences Name Choice
<
26
Worshipping God Via Mobile Phone
Worshipping God Via Mobile Phone
SpinVox Voice-to-Text Sermons
<
25
Speed Trap Alerts via SMS
Speed Trap Alerts via SMS
Trapster.com
<
24
SMS Mirror
SMS Mirror
Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Sent That Text?
<
23
Cyber Bullying
Cyber Bullying
High Tech Harrassment via SMS, Email
<
22
Pizza Via SMS
Pizza Via SMS
Papa John's, Domino's Accept Text Orders
<
21
New SMS Language
New SMS Language
Teens Using Codes to Throw Off Adults
<
20
Tracking Employee Texting
Tracking Employee Texting
TextGuard Blocks Blackberry SMS
<
19
Text Lights
Text Lights
Nathan Coley's Floating Text Messages
<
18
Texting Olympics
Texting Olympics
LG Canadian Texting Championship
<
17
Smexting
Smexting
The SMS Phenomenon Caused By Smoking Bans
<
16
Cartoon Thumb Fitness
Cartoon Thumb Fitness
Vinaphone Text Campaign
<
15
Text A Sketch
Text A Sketch
SMS Art
<
14
SMS Controlled UFOs
SMS Controlled UFOs
Untitled (UFO) with 3,000 LEDs
<
13
Digital Religion
Digital Religion
Pope Reaches Out With Text Messages
<
12
Mobile Device Gloves
Mobile Device Gloves
Freehands for Cold-Weather Texting
<
11
Gotta Pee? SMS The Door- New Public Toilets System in Finland
Gotta Pee? SMS The Door- New Public Toilets System in Finland
<
10
Cheeky Bean Bags
Cheeky Bean Bags
Meanbags The Low Tech SMS?
<
9
Text Message Breakups
Text Message Breakups
Finlands 'Sexiest Man' Dumps Girlfriend via SMS
<
8
Text Message Wrist Bands
Text Message Wrist Bands
The Wristlet Concept
<
7
Shyno
Shyno
T-Shirts For SMS Dating
<
6
Underwater SMS for Divers
Underwater SMS for Divers
UDI Digital Texting
<
5
Digital Fountain Pen
Digital Fountain Pen
Send SMS and Email
<
4
Needlepoint SMS
Needlepoint SMS
‘Embroidered Text Messages'
<
3
Anonymous Texts at Bus Stops
Anonymous Texts at Bus Stops
Big Brother's Creepy Bluetooth Campaign
<
2
Innovative Texting Devices
Innovative Texting Devices
SMS Text Messager
<
1
Holographic Text Messages
Holographic Text Messages
Viral Video Previews HoloText iPhone Concept
<