Monday, July 11, 2011

SMS Based chat (anonymous, free and IRC types)

This is a log of the application that I created as part of the txtweb's App2Fame contest. txtweb is an application platform based on the SMS technology. So, all phones irrespective of whether being smart or not can access all the apps and their features and hence become smart. The only down side being that the features are dependent on what txtweb's applications provide.

For submitting to that contest, I was cracking my brains for some ideas to submit, when I thought of google maps helper app (@gmaps) , which I created in one day and submitted. But, later I endedup finding out that there was a similar app @route which was already submitted and in use for a long time.

Well, then I thought of a chat application, this time I wanted to first search the apps present there (- found out that the search feature of txtweb could have been a lot better, thou). I found a few apps, but they really don't do much. Just dummy apps created with some text and doing really nothing. So, here it goes, another day and submitted it just before the deadline (@sirc).

Key Features:

1. Very similar to an IRC client/server. Only that there is only one server.
2. Supports channels concept.
3. Use nicks rather than phone numbers - makes in anonymous, just like the irc.
4. Chat with multiple people
5. Private chat with a single person (based on nick)
6. Create private channels - these are starting with a '.' (dot) and will not be listed publicly.


So, here's how to use it:
SMS these 'bold' text to +91 92433 42000 (India)
@sirc @join [channel] - E.g. @sirc @join bangalore
Joins a channel (and leave your current channel). This will create a channel if there is none found.

@sirc @nick [nick]
- E.g. @sirc @nick superman
Choose a nick for yourself.

@sirc @leave

Leave a channel - Stops messages from this app as well until you join another channel or someone private messages you.

@sirc @[nick] [msg]
- E.g. @sirc @superman come and help!
Send a private message to @nick

@sirc @listpeople

Lists the people currently your present channel (provides all the nicks).

@sirc @list

Lists all the channels present (Does not list channels starting with a dot (.)
Channels starting with a dot are private channels.

@sirc @help
Shows the help. Mostly the contents here ;)

@sirc
[msg] - E.g. @sirc anybody knows kannada?
Sends a message to everybody on the channel. You need to join one first using @sirc @join

Try it out today!!!