Gmail SMS comes to SA

8‚àôta and Google today announced the availability of Gmail SMS Chat service, which allows Gmail users in South Africa to send and receive chat messages – as text messages.

With SMS in Chat, a Gmail user can send a text message from the desktop interface directly to phones via SMS. In return, these contacts may respond to these text messages and the response will appear in the original sender’s Gmail interface. Amith Maharaj, Senior Managing Executive of 8ta says ‚the launch of SMS in Gmail Chat is yet another way of demonstrating 8.ta’s dedication to bringing valuable services that matter to our customers‚ . This service brings flexibility and mobility to 8‚àôta and Gmail users.

‚We are pleased to work with 8‚àôta to offer the Gmail SMS Chat service to 8‚àôta customers,‚ says Luke McKend, country Manager, Google South Africa.

How the service works:

SMS in Chat is easy and convenient to use: users would have to type in a phone number into the new SMS box in Gmail and the message and send it off. In addition, contact phone numbers can be stored within the Gmail address book, which allows immediate access to them anytime an SMS needs to be sent simply by typing the contact’s name in the chat box and selecting “Send SMS””. The SMS in Chat feature is especially useful if a contact is not available via online chat, as it allows users to form a conversation and to send messages from within the chat window directly to the contact’s phone screen as an SMS. To respond to the message you don’t need access to a PC you can send an SMS directly from your phone to a contact’s Gmail Chat window. For further information, visit http://www.8ta.com/services/messaging/

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