[ShadowAce]

[ozark hilljilly]

I’ve used the Verizon site to send texts occasionally. Don’t know if that’s just for folks who have Verizon cell phones only, though.

[Washi]

I know that if the recipient is using Verizon, you can send e-mail to nnnnnnnnnn@vtext.com (where nnnnnnnnnn is the 10 digit phone number).

Other carriers should have a similar service.

[coloradomomba]

Yeah, I use the Sprint website to send mine as well..my family has never mentioned any junk texts that they have received as a result.

[Born Conservative]

Verizon Wireless allows their customers to login to their account (on the web) and send a text through their website. Not sure about the other carriers, but they probably have the same.

[Scutter]

Use an email to SMS gateway. All of the major wireless providers provide these for numbers on their network. Because they are from the wireless company itself, there should be no issue with SPAM. Of course, you need to know the wireless provider that is being used for the phone number to which you are sending the email.

The list here will show you the different email addresses for the different wireless providers.

[Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo]

Install the Yahoo client:
 
http://messenger.yahoo.com/download/
 
It allows you to send texts directly to a person's cell phone.

[posterchild]

If in the US it is typically the 10 digit number before ‘@’ followed by the carrier’s URL for text or image messages. The following has a list of common carriers.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/email-to-sms/

[pnh102]

Try using Google Voice. You can send/receive texts for free using a web interface. The only downside is you’d be doing it from a different phone number than your own.

[paulycy]

Verizon users: email message to phone_num@vtext.com

[greedo]

Sending SMS from Gmail

[angcat]

I sometimes send text messages from my work computer to my daughters cell phone. I think we get charged more for doing that. He he.

[HeDidWhat?]

Yahoo Messenger works pretty good for what you are trying to do.

[Hodar]

Any site that does this, does this for a reason. Verizon does this as a service to their customers. Other sites do this to gather active cell phone numbers.

Why would you spend thousands of dollars a year to maintain a website, and pay to have this service provided free? Instead, you can harvest millions of cell phone numbers, and then sell them to companies that make a living by calling and harassing.

Now, you can spend 10 minutes and learn how to text with your phone, or you can sign your friends personal information up on the public domain - it all depends how you chose to treat your friends. Personally, I chose not to share my friend’s names, addresses, email or phone numbers with the public, and I drop friends who feel that I do not deserve the same consideration. Of course, you are free do do whatever you chose; just be aware that some may hold you accountable for your actions.

[1rudeboy]

MaximumPC recommends sms.dynadel.com. You must know the recipient's carrier. It's formatted to be viewed on a mobile browser.

[w1andsodidwe]

We regularly send text message about server failure, etc to our tech people who have company provided cell phones. However, this has caused our IT director on a few occasions, to harangue to person who received the person for wasting company resources on texting on a company phone. But then, there are idiots every place you look.

[Still Thinking]

You don't need any particular website. Send an email to

phone-number@qualified-domain

For my carrier, the domain part is "sms.carrier.com" I think for some others, it's just "carrier.com", as in "verizon.com" or "t-mobile.com", and so on. If you're talking about being out in public and not having access to your PC, just create a mail.com account you don't mind using from someone else's computer.

[expat_panama]

Skype.com

I’m putting together a shopping list for the wife right now on skype.

[JerseyHighlander]

http://www.voxox.com is my preferred solution.

If you know what carrier the recipient uses, you can send it for free through the carrier’s internet portals.

[OL Hickory]

i have an AIM account and I use AIM express to send text messages to phones all the time