o2 Sms Service

I first joined the o2 website about 2 years ago because i was looking for a service that would enable me to send short text messages for free. I had already signed at lycos, but was not impressed with the general layout of the site and found navigating around the website was sometimes difficult. The website can be found at www.o2.co.uk

I signed to o2, choosing a username, password and entering my mobile phone number. Registration did not take long, as is totally free, and i was able to use the facility withing a few minutes of signing up. Every month on the 1st you receive 30 free texts to send that month, and if this is not enough there is an option to buy more texts. 30 more texts costs £1.50, 100 more costs £4.50 and 500 for £20.00. Personally i just stick to the 30 a month and then if i need anymore use the Lycos account i have.

The site also allows you to email to a mobile, simply email, and perform media messaging. The web site contains a wide range of information on everything mobile, from the latest phones to games, to sports coverage and music downloads. It is also possible to purchase mobiles, accessories and all other related things.

The layout of the site is very easy to comprehend, with the different sections of the site along the top, and all the actions you can perfom along the left hand side. Along the top bar of the screen are sections called; Home, Products&Services, Shop, Fun, Txt, International, o2Active and Help.

Home.
This displays the main page of the o2 site which has all the different information about where you can go and what you can do on the website. Along the left hand column there are actions you can perform including sending text messages, Games, WAP, Media Messaging, Ringtones and Wallpaper and a lot more.

Products and Services.
This section gives you all the details about the different products, tarriffs, and services provided by o2. By looking on the main page of this section i can see there are activities such as mobile betting, checking your mobile will work abroad, purchasing a camera phone, and lots more.

Shop.
Obivously, this is where you come to purchase goods. Some of the wide range of products availiable here include, phones, tarriffs, Sim cards, accessories, trade-ins, camera phones, you name it they will probably be selling it.

Fun.
This section allows you to download games to your mobile, get new wallpapers and ringtones, bet on your mobile, and a whole load of other things that i have never clicked my mouse on before :-s.

TXT.
The text messaging service itself is very easy to use. On the main Txt page there is a bold like right at the top which says 'Send a txt message' so it is not hard to miss.

After clicking on said link, you are whisked away to a page with three blank spaces, one for the number, a subject one (which does not have to be used) and the message space. You start the message with 339 characters, which enables you to send 3 texts at one go, but if you only want to send one then watch how many you type, it lets you go dow to 226.

As you type there is a box that tells you how many texts will be sent, so you can shorten them down to just the one to save your freebies! You can also enable a reply service whereby the recipient of your text can text the computer back and you can read it in your inbox.

There is also a set of templates if you are in a hurry, a dictionary of shortened words, an Xrated dictionary for those dirty texts, chat up lines to send and even jokes. O2 even has an address book facility so that you can store names and numbers on it without having to search for them on your phone. It also keeps track of how many texts you have left that month so you dont run out all of a sudden.

The section of FAQ's gives a comprehensive list of any troubles you might be having and the solutions to them. After sending your text, a confirmation screen will appear with the etxt you have sent written in it. If this does not happen then you go back to the first text sending screen, and it says internal error or something to that effect which might mean you left a digit out of the phone number or something gay like that.

International.
This section is basically all about using your mobile abroad, which tarriffs work out cheapest for abroad and the like.

o2Active
This part has all the information on games, sport, entertainment, downloads and more apparently, although i wouldnt know really having only really used the text facility.

Help.
This section is really only for those on o2 contracts, as you have to type in your phone number. Being on vodafone i just dont bother and go to Lycos if i have any problems with this site.

In closing, the only problem i have ever had with the o2 sms service is when it has technical faults (which isnt that often really) so if it is ever down then i can use lycos as a back up. Apart from that i fully recommend o2 to texters all over.