Send Text Messages From Your Browser With MightyText & MobiTexter

One of the main differences between a phone call, text message and messenger bird is the so-called deadline of reply. That’s in an ideal world. In the real world, people forget their cellphones at home, or are prone to ignore them in favor of some other — more interesting, or more pressing — activity.

That’s one motive behind synchronizing text messages with your computer. The other is the ease of typing with an old-fashioned keyboard. Especially for people who use text messaging frequently and don’t want to spend half their lives hunched over tiny touch screens, this is invaluable.

 

MightyText – Seamless Google Chrome Integration

MightyText is a twofold application. The MightyText extension goes in your Google Chrome web browser, the MightyText application on your Android phone. With hardly 2 minutes worth of work, your Android messages finds a second home on your computer.

Right now, MightyText is only available on Google Chrome, but support for Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer is in the pipeline.

The MightyText extension button unfolds to show you your inbox, which is constantly kept in sync with your Android text messages. Even the messages that were not sent through MightyText. However, one of the more impressive feats of MightyText is its ability to import allpre-existing messages and contacts from your phone as well.

Although a Google Chrome extension doesn’t sound like the most accessible way to access your text messages, the MightyText message notifications go a long way to proving otherwise. Even when you’re using another application, a small pop-up will inform you of any new messages. This pop-up will not fade away, so there’s no chance of accidentally missing it. Of course, you can always disable this feature to make MightyText less invasive.

 

MobiTexter – Text from Any Browser, Anywhere

MobiTexter, too, is an Android application that lets you send text messages from your browser. This time, through a webpage instead of a browser extension. This way it’s not bound to any specific browser. Contrary to MightyText, MobiTexter has a very rudimentary interface. Among other things, MobiTexter does not create message threads, but shows all your messages in chronological order.

There’s a flip side to this coin. Having this light interface does wonders for its compatibility. When I say MobiTexter will run in almost any browser, it’s not an empty boast. In the screenshot above, you can see MobiTexter running on Dolphin HD, a third-party iPad browser. Texting with your tablet — even without 3G — is no harder than opening a webpage. With iOS, you could even put a separate icon on your homescreen.

This is what makes MightyText and MobiTexter such a killer team. With MightyText installed, you can manage your messages on your personal computer. MobiTexter, on the other hand, lets you do the same on any computer, or portable device, so you can use a decent keyboard to compose your messages, wherever you are.

 

Cost and Reliability

Both of these applications are available free of charge. Any SMS will be sent at your usual fee. However, because both applications use a data connection to communicate with your computer, additional 3G bandwidth may have to be taken into account.

If you use these applications for time-sensitive business, there’s another thing you have to take into account. Neither application is infallible, so it might take some time before your text message is actually sent, even though they are normally pushed to your device instantly.

Have you tried any of these apps before? Do you have a different suggestion? Let us know in the comments!

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