General Advice On .Mac

[Stan]

I have just signed up for the 60 day .Mac trial, with a view to purchasing. One of the main reasons for this is that I am interested in utilising the iChat software to send text messages and/or make calls to mobiles. Unfortunately though, it is not proving to be as easy to come by information about how to do this as I had hoped, so I am hoping some generous forumistas might share their knowledge and experiences.

In particular, I would like to know:

1. Is there a reliable service provider for SMS/calls via .Mac in the UK?
2. Is subscription or pay as you go service better?
3. Can I only send SMS/calls to others with a Mac, or a .Mac account?

Any advice on these questions, or general hints and tips on how to get the most from .Mac would be welcome. Cheers

 

[MacFan25863]

I have just signed up for the 60 day .Mac trial, with a view to purchasing. One of the main reasons for this is that I am interested in utilising the iChat software to send text messages and/or make calls to mobiles. Unfortunately though, it is not proving to be as easy to come by information about how to do this as I had hoped, so I am hoping some generous forumistas might share their knowledge and experiences.

In particular, I would like to know:

1. Is there a reliable service provider for SMS/calls via .Mac in the UK?
2. Is subscription or pay as you go service better?
3. Can I only send SMS/calls to others with a Mac, or a .Mac account?

Any advice on these questions, or general hints and tips on how to get the most from .Mac would be welcome. Cheers

I don't think .Mac offers this. And you don't need a .Mac account to use iChat. You can use a free AIM account.

 

[Applespider]

iChat is an instant messaging service; it doesn't offer SMS or mobile phone calls through it. Are you perhaps thinking of Skype which allows calls from a computer to a normal telephone number?

There's a widget for Tiger that apparently allows you to send international SMS for $0.10 but I haven't tried it. If you have an existing Bluetooth mobile, you can send and receive SMS on your Mac through the Bluetooth connection but it costs the same as a text from your mobile would.

.Mac is primarily useful for being a quick, easy way to get files from your iApps online, having a non-ISP bound email address, and useful synching of files/mail/calendars across multiple Macs. Has nothing to do with telephony in any shape or form