Mobile computing is changing the face of our culture. It’s changing how we work, how we socialize, how we organize our lives, it’s changed a lot.
With this has brought awesome opportunities for new talent to step up, and actually, the whole thing has provided tens of thousands of jobs. Mobile technology is good for the economy.
In these times, if you are wanting to earn money from development, mobile seems the best option. The users are growing every day, the devices are growing every day, and people are spending more and more money on their phones and apps.
Most people though, will automatically assume that the way to reach most people and make the most money is to build a smartphone app. It’s true that the smartphone sector is where all of the big success stories are coming from, and it seems a sensible route as more and more people are switching to smartphones.
But, wait a minute. I think that we need a reality check. There are more ways to reach mobile users than just apps, and actually, you can reach way more users if you don’t just target the smartphone market.
Have we forgotten about SMS? Pretty much every cell phone in the world does SMS, compared to the much smaller smartphone market.
I know, I know, you are thinking ,”But, SMS can seem spammy, I hate getting texts from companies.” This is true, I do too, but you must remember that in no way has SMS gone out of fashion, it’s still going strong and growing.
The fact is, while everyone else is focused on apps and scrambling for the top spot, there is not much going on “entrepreneurially” in the ever growing SMS market.
Frankly, I think that there are some really lucrative opportunities within the area of SMS. It is just going to take some creative thinking entrepreneurs, and I know that we have plenty of those within the 8BIT community.
The other great thing about SMS is the technology is so simple. It is open to those who are not even as advanced as to be able to code smartphone apps.
There are companies out there who are doing all the hard work, so that you can just focus on creating awesome products. For example, lets take new kid on the blog, SMSified.
SMSified
Let me start off, right now, by saying that SMSified is currently in Beta, but this is actually a good thing. Because they are in Beta, they are not actually charging for their SMS messages, right now (normally just 1¢), so what a great opportunity to get a cool project set up with minimal costs?
What Do SMSified Actually Do?
SMSified makes it easy for you to set up a cool SMS app. The possibilities are endless.
They provide an SMS REST API for sending, receiving and reporting on your messages.
How Much Does It Cost?
As I said before they are currently in Beta so the messages are free right now, however, when they move out of Beta they will be the following:
- 1¢ Per Message
- $1 Per Phone Number, Per Month
What?! I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw those prices! It is insanely cheap!
What Carriers Does it Work With?
Currently SMSified only works in the US with the following carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and MetroPCS.
Any Other Features?
- SMS-enabled phone numbers
- Two-way, interactive text messaging
- Short code provisioning and expert guidance
- Demonstrated scalability and redundancy
- Powerful reporting dashboard and API
Guys, from me to you, I feel that SMS could be a seriously lucrative way forward if you could think of the right app. The possibilities are endless from subscription service, to interactive services, quizzes, status updates, voting systems, the possibilities are literally as wide as your imagination.
Plus, with an awesome service like SMSified, how can you possibly refuse their awesome pricing? Your setup costs are practically zero! They do all the hard work and create a simple API for you to deal with. That, to me, sounds like a very inviting opportunity!
I hope that some of you take up the challenge.
Will you?
Dewitt Robinson says
I’m a novice at web applications. Any referrals for a web programmer to help set this up?
James Brooks says
I’m sure that Tom will have some contacts (http://twitter.com/moretom)