How to Send Free SMS to All Networks

1. Download and install an 'IM Client.' These programs are used to send text-based messages to computer users but can also be used to send messages to cell phones as well. Examples of this type of program include AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger (see References). These programs are free.
2. Open the IM Client you've just installed.
3. Select 'New Message' from the 'File' menu.
4. Type the telephone number, proceeded by a '+1' (without quotes), into the 'Sender' box. This will tell the program that the message you are about to type is going to a telephone number as opposed to a computer screen name.
5. Type your text message into the 'Message' box.
6. Hit the 'Enter' key on your computer's keyboard. This will send the message to the telephone number you've specified. You will be able to send this message free, but normal SMS text message rates will still apply on their end. If the recipient chooses to respond, their message will be displayed in this same window. You can then disregard or respond to it as you see fit.

How to Spot Free Vacation Scams

1. Find out who is giving the gift and keep your wits about you. A true free gift comes to you in the mail because you won a contest or sweepstakes. Upon notification in the mail, if you find you must call to claim your vacation, it's a scam.
2. Listen to the representative who calls you. He will most likely be talking fast so that you cannot get in a word of your own.
3. Ask what, if any, charges will apply. If the representative says you do have to pay the taxes that amount to 'X' dollars, it's a scam. Unfortunately, any free trip that includes charges is most likely a scam, and this is particularly true if there are high-pressure tactics used to get you to claim the gift.
4. Avoid giving out your credit card number to hold the vacation for you. This should be a tip-off that they only want your money.
5. Suspect they are lying. Pay attention as the representative gets in deeper in the text. It may seem like he is angry or making up some of the information. He probably is. This may be where you can catch him lying.
6. Find out if there are any requirements to the free vacation. If you have to sit through a long explanation of timeshares, it may not be worth it to you.
7. Make sure you know quickly what your free trip is and what you must do to claim it. If you have not found this out within 10 minutes, you won't like the answer.

How to Replace a SafeLink TracFone

1. Contact a TracFone service representative. Dial 1-800-867-7183 to report your SafeLink lost or stolen. Inform the representative of the estimated last date of use. Give a detailed description of where you may have lost the phone or how it got stolen.
2. Provide the representative with your mobile device's serial number or ESN found on your activation card. If you cannot locate the activation card, provide the representative with the cell phone number.
3. Request to keep your old phone number or apply for a new one. After the representative reports your cell phone lost or stolen, request that a copy of the report be sent to your active email address. Check your email address to make sure that you have received the email and a cell phone replacement confirmation number.
4. Expect the replacement SafeLink TracFone mobile device to be mailed to you within three to five business days, without cost. Check the contents upon arrival to make sure that the replacement cell phone, battery, charger, SIM card and activation card are intact.
5. To activate, call the number provided on your activation card. Provide the serial number, found on the activation card, and the SIM card code, found on the back of the SIM, to complete the activation process.

How to Send SMS With Windows Live Messenger

1. Sign in to Windows Live Messenger and click the 'Show menu' button located under the e-mail icon.
2. Hover over 'Actions' when the menu opens. You can send messages, start a webcam or play a game here.
3. Hover over 'Send other' and then click 'Send a message to a mobile device.'
4. Click 'OK' when a window pops up saying the recipient of your SMS message may be charged.
5. Type the text message in the form that opens. Your message can be up to 140 characters long.
6. Press 'Enter' when you finish typing the message. The message will be sent to your contact.

How to Set up a Linux GSM SMS Gateway

1. Send your text messages using Alamin. Alamin is an SMS gateway software that you can install on your Linux server, which allows you to send text messages to a GSM phone, and allows that phone to send them back to you. It is a free software package available in Linux repositories. Alamin is designed for a Gnome environment, but with the dependencies installed, you can use it on a KDE machine as well.
2. Use Ozeki NG SMS Gateway for sending text messages to GSM cell phones. The NG SMS Gateway is not an open-source software, but it can transmit SMS messages on Linux computers from a variety of databases as well as using HTTP, e-mail, a command line tool or TXT files. It can send and receive and it can handle up to 500 text messages per second.
3. Manage your SMS messages using smstools. The smstools package is available for free in the Linux repositories. It uses a simple interface that can allow you to send up to 20,000 text messages to GSM cell phones per month. It can send and receive messages and the software automatically detects messages that failed to send and tries to send them again after an hour. The smstools package is Gnome-based, though it will run on machines that have a KDE environment with the proper libraries installed.
4. Transmit your messages with Kannel. Kannel is a message gateway for SMS messages as well as for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) messages. It is an open-source SMS gateway native to the KDE Linux environment. It runs on Gnome-based machines with the proper dependencies installed on them.

How to Send a Free Text Message to Sprint Cell Phones

1. Open the Gmail website and click 'Create an Account.' Follow the Gmail instructions for opening a new account. Supply a mobile phone number to verify the account information. When the Gmail code appears on the mobile phone, type it into the Gmail webpage and log into the new Gmail account.
2. Click on the box under 'Send SMS' on the left sidebar of the Gmail webpage. Insert the Sprint cell phone number to which the user wishes to send a text message. Press 'enter' on the keyboard.
3. Insert the contact name of the Sprint cell phone owner to whom the user wishes to send a text message. Press 'enter' on the keyboard.
4. Type in the message in the window that pops up in the lower right-hand corner of the webpage. Press 'enter' on the keyboard. The user has now sent a free text message to the Sprint cell phone.

How to Unlock the Samsung A127 Phone for Free

1. Slide the back cover off your Samsung A127 phone and pull out the battery. A 15-digit IMEI code will be located here. Write it down.
2. Call an AT&T customer service representative and ask for the A127's unlock code. Write down the eight-digit code provided.
3. Turn on your phone without your old SIM card.
4. Enter '#0111*(eight-digit unlock code)#. Hit 'Send' and the phone should say 'Personalization canceled.' Turn off the phone by pressing the 'Call end' button.
5. Insert a new carrier's SIM card into the A127 and power it on. The phone should now be ready to operate on the new network.