Webware

This morning Web-SMS service Joopz is launching a new Outlook plug-in that turns your desktop e-mail client into a one-stop SMS hub. Once tied into your Joopz account, you can send and receive text messages like you would e-mail. The tool also syncs up with your Outlook contacts, to let you send notes to anybody with a phone number.

(Credit: MobileSphere)

The service is flouting the new plug-in as a handy way to keep in touch with friends, but for business users who use SMS to communicate with their colleagues while out on the road, this could be a handy, finger-saving tool for those with their PC handy.

In addition to one-on-one SMS messaging, you can send out messages to groups of friends like you'd do with an e-mail. There's also a group chat feature that mimics the "reply-all" feature to send the response back to everyone on the list, be it e-mail addresses or phone numbers.

Since launching in December (coverage), the service has launched profile modules for MySpace and Facebook, and is currently working on a desktop application that acts like an IM client.

Happy Valentine's Day from Webware. We don't have chocolate, flowers, or cheesy cards for you, but we do have a roundup of Valentine's Day-related Web services and specials for you to get in touch with that special someone.

>> YouTube is offering video valentines. You've got six kitschy and humorous videos to choose from, featuring a slightly overweight cupid who causes more harm than good. For quick and easy personalized Webcam videos to your sweetheart, try out Viddler or Gabmail.

>> If your honey is stuck in the office all day, cheer him or her up with a text message. Joopz is offering virtual candy hearts by text and Web. The company also is letting texters use unlimited Web-to-text service for free all day (it's normally three bucks a month).

>> Send them a virtual gift on Facebook. With icons designed by Susan Kare, there are a number of love-centric options to choose from. Your first gift is free, and gifts are $1 each after that. For the month of February, Facebook is donating all proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

>> Flirt with a someone you don't know. Jumbuck's "Fast Flirting" service (not to be confused with speed dating) hooks you up with a stranger via text messaging for 10 minutes at a time. Hopefully it doesn't take you that long to figure out how to use your phone's keypad. Luckily there are preset message templates to get the conversation going. There's also a social networking component with groups, profiles, and user avatars.

>> Wishood gives you an online greeting card with a twist--you get to add a wish to it and the sender can "grant" it. Did you get them post-it notes instead of that magenta iPod Shuffle they wanted? They'll probably let you know. For other greeting card services, check out BlueMountain and eGreetings.

>> Buy your Web site a present. Pingdom is offering users a free year of uptime monitoring service, which makes sure your site is alive and well and lets you know if there are any problems. The service normally costs $120 a year.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Jyngle from Brevient Technologies says it's "real-world, real-time" voice mail and SMS messaging.

It's a social network--set up groups online and make them public or private. From a phone, dial in, submit a PIN, record a message. The voice or text message is then sent to the mobile phones of the predetermined members of that group.

Brevient says the ideal application is event reminders or meeting changes. At first glance it seems a bit complicated, but probably useful for messages that need to be heard ASAP.

Text messaging can be a tricky affair. It got David Beckham in a lot of trouble with his wife, and if you're on a U.S. carrier, it's likely given you some trouble on your monthly bill. Throw in the difficulty of typing with twelve keys, and conventional messaging loses some of its appeal. That's where Joopz comes in. Joopz is a browser-based SMS service that lets you use your 100+ button PC keyboard to send and receive text messages. Many carriers already offer this functionality from their Web sites or with special, free e-mail addresses, but Joopz takes it one step further with two-way communication and group chat. Joopz comes in two flavors: a free and a premium membership. Premium membership allows unlimited outgoing messages and archiving features.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Replying to a Joopz-sent SMS on your phone will send the message to a conversation window on the sender's side as long as they have Joopz running. Otherwise it will show up the next time they log in. Conversations look similar to an iChat transcript, with neat-looking colored bubbles and time stamps. The Joopz conversation doesn't have the kinetic flow of a normal IM chat, but it's simple to sign up and get started. Conversations are logged, but you can't check the history without being a premium member. In an age when Google caches every chat in Google Talk, it's disappointing to see this archiving feature require a subscription.

In addition to SMS functionality, Joopz also includes basic organizational features. You can set reminders for yourself that arrive via SMS on your phone. You'll also eventually be able create a small database of your contacts, so you can easily message them without digging for numbers on your mobile phone.

There are some serious limitations to this service, mainly the cap of 10 outgoing messages for nonpremium members. The $3 monthly fee for premium membership seems fairly reasonable, but if you include the fees for [incoming] text messages from your phone carrier, the bills can add up pretty quickly, unless you have a generous text messaging plan from your wireless carrier. Also, most new phones include IM clients, which means creating a dummy account for an IM-enabled phone could achieve the same effect as Joopz without the middle man. Where Joopz comes in handy is for all those users who aren't willing to go through that effort and are looking for a simple, browser-based texting solution.

UPDATE: Joopz has told us there are no text messaging charges for the mobile phone user while sending outgoing messages to a Joopz user. Your carrier also won't charge you for sending messages via Joopz. There's more information on the Joopz FAQ.

UPDATE x2 (From MobileSphere): "Any message sent by Joopz and received on a mobile phone will occur a charge by the receiving party whether as a part of a sms/data plan or per unit if the user does not have a plan. Now, if a Joopz subscriber has forwarding activated he/she will be charged for each SMS that is being forwarded to his/her phone. The same goes for reminders."