Instant Messaging Devices

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread about IM devices that could be used in a church setting. I know there are a few threads out there listing some. I came across this one today:

http://www.zipitwireless.com/

[Sysmom]

All right, I'll bite.

Why would you want/need to buy yet another device when people's cell phones work for instant messages?

deb

It's like for communicating with your camera operators, etc. It's "instant" as opposed to waiting for a message to be mailed and then received -- and it has a full keyboard. I personally don't know how it would work in practice... I've just seen it talked about here several times and saw this new piece of gear.

[Lucas]

I pay $30 for two months, get 60 free txt, and txt's cost me 10c each

I never use it all up, so I'm all good

Originally Posted by Lucas

I pay $30 for two months, get 60 free txt, and txt's cost me 10c each

I never use it all up, so I'm all good

Not following.... for your phone? Maybe I'm the only one who knows what I'm talking about.... which is most of the time since I don't make any sense most of the time....

[Scott S]

I have looked at a few devices last year for this same purpose----I could not find one that I liked. But that was a year ago----there was another one that after you bought the units was free for the service but worked through AOL instant messanger...............dont remember the name.

[Sysmom]

Well, we use AIM for cellphone to computer messaging during service. (or vice versa)

I'm sure you could use AIM for cellphone to cellphone messaging, too.

Hmmm. Still thinking about a dedicated gadget.

deb

[MediaGuy]

My Sprint Mogul has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. I actually don't text, but if I did, I'd be the envy of the staff with that phone. My IMs through Sprint (and across networks) are virtually instant (have had texts from the stage to the booth already, instead of trying to communicate via hand signals).

[ABHin]

we use msn now

[voyager529]

try as I might, I could never get the hang of texting with one hand (although incidentally my sister is a master at it). If I were running a camera, sending an IM with both hands while balancing the tripod with my elbow can get messy, handheld it gets downright dangerous...

Joey

[cjlowe]

The idea of a Vision Director sending cues to cam ops by instant message is kinda... dumb, frankly. Keeping a zoomed shot steady, framed and focussed is enough work without adding in the operation of an extra device. But I definitely can see some use for text messaging in communicating with, say, people in the front row (who can't just jump on a comms set during a sermon).

The non-time-critical nature means you can pick up the message when you've got a second - as opposed to audio, where you have to have the comms in your ear before you can receive it - so say you had to send a cue to FoH Audio saying "pastor will take wireless 5 instead of 2", you could send it without disrupting whatever FoH is doing.

Voyager, why would you ever need to transmit while on a camera? Isn't the comms line receive-only for cam ops?

[kbob]

there are times when your line of sight is blocked in the direction they want you to pan, for instance, or if you're on a mobile cam, you might want to tell them when you need to reposition for a much better angle you can see...or just to say you didn't understand what the last request meant...