options for inexpensive messaging from China

[rudy45]

How can a person from the US, traveling to China (Beijing), send messages inexpensively back to US and vice versa, besides email? Cell phone rates will be $1.50/minute, so I'd like to minimize that if I can.

Specifically,
- Will AIM or AIM express work from China, or will we have to use ICQ? Is there a way to send AIM messages to a cell phone as a text message rather than to another AIM client?
- Does the T-Mobile web-to-cell phone text messaging feature https://wmg.tmomail.net/customer_site/jsp/messaging_lo.jsp work from outside the US? Has anyone used it from China to send a text message back to the US?
- Can I send a text message to a US cell phone that is physically in China, or will government restrictions prevent that?

Thanks.

[Zhang Fei]

If you absolutely have to send text messages on the move (via cell-phone), I know of no cheap way to do that. But text messaging via Yahoo isn’t blocked in China. You can also make cheap calls via Skype - quality can be pretty decent, depending on your broadband provider.

[rudy45]

Thanks; what about AOL Instant Messenger, either via the client software or via the web interface, AIM Express www.aim.com? Can someone who is in China use either version of AIM? Thanks.

[Zhang Fei]

Thanks; what about AOL Instant Messenger, either via the client software or via the web interface, AIM Express www.aim.com? Can someone who is in China use either version of AIM? Thanks.

Not having used it, I can't really tell. But Yahoo Messenger is free. Skype to US voice lines is cheap at 2 cents a minute from anywhere in the world (and a 10-euro account deposit for computer-to-voice calls, so it's cheap to try), and free from computer-to-computer. Your worst case is that you end up having to use Yahoo and Skype. Most Chinese 3-star hotels have broadband. But make sure you find out what the charges are before you sign up. (Many are free, but you never know).