What’s the deal with MMS?
Posted on 15 September 2009, at 3:10 pm, by Larry Greenberg
Jessica just recently posted a great tutorial on how to get MMS on your iPhone now, before AT&T’s promised September 25th delivery date. If you missed it check it out here.
That got some of us here at Gear Diary started on a small debate about the merit’s of MMS.
I saw the MMS trick a few days ago couldn’t come up with a reason for MMS on my phone so I simply didn’t install it and still haven’t.
For the life of me I can’t understand why everyone is making such a huge deal about MMS. Is it just that AT&T’s failure to deliver it a few months ago was something to complain about? Or is there actually something essential on a device that already has email? Could someone please explain to me what MMS brings to the table…
Maybe I’m in the minority but most of my friends & family, which are the people I’m most often sharing pictures with, have access to either a smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone etc.) or more importantly an e-mail account. So if i want to share a picture with them all I have to do is e-mail it knowing they’ll see it either on their phone’s e-mail client or on their computer.
I know MMS is still very popular outside the U.S. but we’re strictly talking about AT&T here in this case.
So are you eagerly awaiting the arrival of MMS on the iPhone, or have you already done the trick Jessica posted about? And if so what do you actually use MMS for that makes it such a compelling feature?
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September 15th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I know I have friends with feature phones that use this quite a bit, but they are in the minotry. I don’t really use it either. Once it’s available, I suspect I will use it only occasionally. I have not, therefore, done the update yet. I will likely wait until it’s triggered.
I think the big “problem” for people was that feature phones – perceived as less powerful – could do this while the almightly iPhone could not.
I always felt that the issue was a non-starter because of the ease with which you could email a picture, but some people disagree with me.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I don’t think I realized that I used MMS as much as I did until I didn’t have it any more. Sometimes I snap a picture and send it to friends and for that I like the immediacy of MMS vs. email. Many of my friends either don’t get email on their phones or it’s backgrounded (even like the iPhone) with no real immediate alert. Text and picture messages pop right up for everyone. As much as I am a tech adopter, I am one of the only ones in my group of friends and family.
Another reason I wanted MMS is to be able to SEE pictures people send me via text. My brother-in-law and other friends send me pictures all the time and it’s a real pain to have to go to the web to view them with some complicated username and password (Verizon I am looking at you).
September 15th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I have some friends that use MMS like it’s all they know how to do. Their phone does it. So, they snap a cute picture of the kids. Or a pet. Or a company vehicle located somewhere it isn’t supposed to be. Then they send it off.
I receive the message that so & so has sent you a message. With a website address and a security code. Before Copy / Paste, that would involve paper and pen to write the info down (as my memory is failing me). Then, I COULD open the web page in Safari, enter the info and view the pic. Can’t save it, but can view it. If I want to save it, I have to go to another web address (which is the only one you really have to go to) to get the picture in a savable format.
My Sony-Erikson Z500, Motorola Razr, 3125 (HTC Startrek), and Tilt were all able to send and receive MMS. They were all on AT&T (formerly Cingular). So, it’s not that the service isn’t there. Someone just dropped a ball.
Oh. I forgot. You only have a limited time to view the MMS message (7 days I think) before removal.
September 15th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I switched to an iPhone when the 3GS came out, and I couldn’t believe how frustrating it was not to be able to send and receive MMS texts. It’s one of the many frustrations with this incredible device. I just unlocked the MMS facility (see Jessica’s page) because I couldn’t wait another day!
September 15th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
For me it’s not that I send the MMS messages, it’s that I have this awesome phone but I can’t view a message that someone on a free phone sent me without going to a web page and putting in an email. It’s not that it’s a big deal or anything it’s just something that I don’t really understand why it took so long to be added on.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
It should have came with the iPhone.
Anyway, I haven’t been doing MMS much since I can just send the pic in a e-mail or tweet it or upload directly to picasa or any number of things you can do with a smartphone. I only like to receive MMS messages from my wife and my non smartphone carrying friends.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I’m in the UK and have been able to MMS for years but don’t – it’s very expensive. Better to email a pic, but it does require more steps.
ssschmidt – what device deletes an MMS after 7 days? I didn’t think this was a limitation.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:57 am
@thenikjones : It’s not the device itself. It’s the messaging system that AT&T use(s/d) to allow something similar to MMS. Think of it as sending an sms with a link. The difference is, when you click on the link, you then have to enter a unique message id & password. Different for EACH MMS that is sent.