CHASING SMS

摘要

For service providers - especially mobile operators - short message service alternatives are worth watching, not only for the threat they pose, but also for paths they are paving for next-generation messaging. Twitter. If any service is aiming for the sweet spot that is SMS, it's Twitter. The largely Web-based service - though you can "tweet" from your cell phone as well - has the same 160-character limit as SMS. The big difference is that while users text-message one person, a Twitter message generally goes , out to everyone "following" the sender. That makes Twitter much more a group conversation medium, although it is possible to send direct messages or replies to one user.