SMS Helper, a mod that counts the number of characters as you type a text messages, was recently updated to version 0.3, 0.3-1 and 0.3-2. The major update was 0.3 which adds a text counter and setting options.

The text counter is a new feature that counts the number of text message you have sent. The counter is based on the “standard” text length of 160 characters. Since the iPhone can send messages longer that 160 characters, the app will count any text over 160 characters as two text messages (or three, or four…). To view the text counter, just tap on the header in the stock Messages application. The counter can be manually reset from there as well. SMS and MMS are counted separately.

The settings for the app are located in the stock Settings application. The settings include two options; the ability to choose what day of the month you would like the text counter to be automatically reset and the ability to turn the animations on/off. One of the animations is the fun flip affect you get when the send button switches to the character counter or vice versa. If you turn the animation off, the character counter/send button will just switch in instead of flipping over.

The developer notes, “The counter might not be accurate, it keeps track only when the MS hook is installed and running. Also there might be unforeseen problems in the counting, so use it as an estimate and not an accurate reporting.”

You can get SMS Helper via the BigBoss source.

ScreenShots

SpotSMS, a mod allows the stock Spotlight Search to search within your SMS (and MMS) messages, was update to version 0.4. The update adds the predicted Settings options.

Once updated, you can go into your stock Settings application and you will see a SpotSMS option. Below is a list of the Setting options. You can get SpotSMS via the BigBoss source.

Setting Options:
- Ability to enable/disable SpotSMS
- Search in Contact name, Message text or both.
- Search by sent, received or both.
- Configurable start search (2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th character).
- Order by date (descending/ascending).

Coming soon: Internationalization messages, make a call, reply

ScreenShots

Picture and video messaging now available on iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS
Now with MMS support from AT&T, iPhone 3G and 3GS customers can send any type of message – text, photos, audio, video, and more.

Start Messaging
To enable MMS messaging, connect your iPhone to your computer and click “Check for Update” in iTunes. Once the update is completed, restart your iPhone by turning it off then on again. Note that iPhone OS 3.1 is required so you may need to update your software first.

For more information about enabling MMS on your iPhone, visit the Apple support site.

NOTE: MMS messaging is only available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Original iPhone customers will continue to use www.viewmymessage.com to receive picture messages.

Messaging Plans available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS
For individuals
Unlimited: $20
1500 Messages: $15
200 Messages: $5

For FamilyTalk
Unlimited: $30

Pay Per Use
$0.20 per text message
$0.30 per picture or video message

Prices are billed monthly and are valid for use in the U.S. only. Messaging plans may be cancelled at any time. Charges for international messages sent from the U.S. are $0.25 for Text Messages and $0.50 for Picture/Video Messages. Charges for usage while roaming internationally: $0.50 for each text message sent, and $1.30 for each picture/video message sent. Additional charges for premium messages and content apply. For full details on Messaging & Data Plans, go to www.att.com/dataterms.

See more info HERE.

SpotSMS, a mod allows the stock Spotlight Search to search within your SMS (and MMS) messages, received an update not too long ago however, the newest update to version 0.3, really polishes the mod. Below are a few of the new features and a full change log.

Now when you search in the stock Spotlight search, all the SMS results display the contact’s title correctly. In the previous version, it was displaying some of the Contact’s correctly and other times it was still displaying the phone number.

Each of the SMS results now display a little arrow indicating if it was an incoming or outgoing SMS as well as the date the text was sent/received.

When you select one of the SMS results, you are now able to copy to text from the message. It also displays the time, date and who the message was received from/sent to.

The only issue I noticed with the update is that when you select a SMS result, the Close button is slightly covered. It still works it is just a little hidden. Overall, I like the update… the results definitely look a lot more polished now.

0.3 Change Log:
- Copy/Paste enabled
- Sent/Received image flags and date were added on result search.
- The contact name process recognition was improved
- More info about the message were added to detail popup view (sent/Received type, contact names and date-hour).

Coming Soon:
Settings, Internationalization messages, make a call, reply…

ScreenShots

Let us know in the comments if you have received your text from AT&T yet… I haven’t!

The “view my message” experience is the current method used by AT&T that allows iPhone users to view MMS messages by providing them with a temporary username and password which must be signed into using a computer and the MMS is then displayed in flash.

Text Message:

AT&T Free Msg: Picture & video messaging (MMS) will be available for iPhone on 9/25. While we prepare your account for MMS capability, the current “view my message” experience will be turned off but your ability to send and receive text messages will not be affected.

Original post here.

SpotSMS, s a mod allows the stock Spotlight Search to search within your SMS (and MMS) messages, received an update to version 0.2. The update changes the search results so that they display the contact’s name instead of just the phone number from which the text was received/sent. However, I noticed that even though most of results now display the Contact’s name, some still display the phone number. There doesn’t seem to be any specific reason that some display the name and others do not… let me know in the comments if you are experiencing the same thing.

ScreenShots

AT&T blocked MMS on the iPhone when firmware 3.0 was available from Apple. Firmware 3.0 has always supported MMS, that’s why when we had the 3.0 Beta we have screenshots showing how MMS worked, but the messages would never go through because AT&T had it blocked by entering an “opt-out” code. Not to mention many other carriers through out the world started supporting MMS when 3.0 was released when AT&T did not.

AT&T has recently announced that they would finally be releasing MMS to the iPhone on Sept 25th, 2009. How will they do this? First, AT&T needs to remove all the opt-out codes they added to accounts to block MMS when 3.0 was released. This is rumored to be part of the reason of the delay in MMS, but it’s also because the iPhone is a heavy bandwidth device and AT&T needed time to upgrade it’s network to handle the addition of MMS. Next Apple will push a carrier update from AT&T to iTunes. This is not a normal firmware update. Once you update, you will see the little camera in your text messaging and will be able to send pictures along with video, contacts and map locations.

Now the question is, how are people getting this early? Simple, they are getting the code early, running iTunes is a mode designed more for Apple engineers than the average user, and uploading it to their iPhone. But, that’s not all that it takes. AT&T still has to remove the opt-out code on your account. That’s why some people can run the hack and still not have MMS. There is nothing you can do but wait for AT&T to get to your account and remove the code. If you want to know how to get the code early and update your iPhone’s carrier file, check out this article I recently wrote about it.

So, for all of you who’ve been writing about “AT&T Releasing iPhone MMS Early”, please get your facts straight. Why? Because you’re giving everyone false hope that some how their iPhone is going to automatically get MMS between now and September 25th without them doing anything. It’s just not true. It’s a hack. Even in a recent interview with AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel by USA Today, he said, “Sept. 25th is still the date…” “We can’t comment on what people might be doing” to get MMS in the meantime.

And, for those of you who are waiting for September 25th, you are going to have to connect to iTunes to update the carrier file on that day. It won’t just start working on it’s own. If you have any questions about this, please ask them in the comments and I will try to clear things up. And if I’m wrong about any of this, please let me know and we’ll make sure everyone gets the right info.

If you want to revert back to the carrier file 4.0 (no MMS) you may download here.

Ok, I’m super excited that I got this to work. I really think it has to with AT&T allowing it to work by removing the opt-out codes (the code AT&T put in to block MMS when firmware 3.0 came out). That’s why I think it took a few days for mine to work after doing what I’m about to show you. It’s really really easy. I’m running an iPhone 3GS, jailbroken, not unlocked, on firmware 3.0.1. Your iPhone does not need to be jailbroken for this to work and I have linked to the file needed for firmware 3.1. Here’s how I did it:

PC/Windows Instructions

1. Download this carrier update file (v5.0) if you are running iPhone firmware 3.0 or 3.0.1 (it might work with lower firmware but I haven’t confirmed it.) If you are on the new 3.1, download here (v5.1).
2. Close iTunes.
3. Click Start > Run > type:cmd then press enter. Run this command: “C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunes.exe” /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1


4. Open iTunes.
5. Hold the shift key while clicking update under your iPhone in iTunes.
6. Change the file type to “iPhone Carrier Configuration files” by clicking in the the bottom right corner and switching to *.ipcc.

7. Find the file of the carrier update you just saved to your computer in step 1, select it and click open.

8. You iPhone is now updated. You may have MMS right away if AT&T has removed your opt-out code but mine took a few days.
9. To allow for Visual Voicemail to work on firmware 3.0 & 3.0.1 using carrier file v5.0, go to your Settings app > General > Network > Cellular Data Network > and under Visual Voicemail change wap.cingular to acds.voicemail

10. Double check your MMS settings below the Visual Voicemail settings above to match this (do not enter anything in blank fields):
APN: wap.cingular
Username:
Password:
MMSC: mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: 066.209.011.32
MMS Max Message Size: 614400
MMS UA Prof URL:

NOTE: If you are on EDGE it will take a while for the image to send. If AT&T hasn’t removed the opt-out code on your account yet, you will get a red exclamation point next to the message.

Mac/OS X Instructions

1. Download this carrier update file if you are running iPhone firmware 3.0 or 3.0.1 (it might work with lower firmware but I haven’t confirmed it.) If you are on the new 3.1, download here.
2. Close iTunes.
3. Open the Terminal Application and run this command: defaults write com.apple.iTunes carrier-testing -bool TRUE

4. Open iTunes
5. Hold the alt key while clicking update under your iPhone in iTunes.
6. Find your file of the carrier update you downloaded and select it.
7. Wait for the update. Once it’s done, turn off your iPhone and turn it back on.
8. You iPhone is now updated. You may have MMS right away if AT&T has removed your opt-out code but mine took a few days.
9. To allow for Visual Voicemail to work on firmware 3.0 & 3.0.1 using carrier file v5.0, go to your Settings app > General > Network > Cellular Data Network > and under Visual Voicemail change wap.cingular to acds.voicemail

10. Double check your MMS settings below the Visual Voicemail settings above to match this (do not enter anything in blank fields):
APN: wap.cingular
Username:
Password:
MMSC: mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: 066.209.011.32
MMS Max Message Size: 614400
MMS UA Prof URL:

NOTE: If you are on EDGE it will take a while for the image to send. If AT&T hasn’t removed the opt-out code on your account yet, you will get a red exclamation point next to the message.

ScreenShots

I mean seriously, if you had some real tech guy like, Kevin Rose, or someone “normal” sit down and say, “Look, we’re sorry that we’re so far behind. The iPhone really just uses way more bandwidth than other devices and it caught us off guard. We’re working really hard to get it right, and when we do, we’re gonna get you tethering too. And since we’re slacking, we’re gonna give you the first 6 months of tethering for free. And we’re sorry we said end of summer. We missed it by a few days, our bad…”, we’d all probably be kewl with AT&T. That all said, we’d actually be kewl with them if they actually had MMS back when the iPhone first launched. As you all already know, most free phones even come with MMS. I’m on my 3rd iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, for sure the more advanced phone EVER and I can’t text someone a picture.

And tethering! My crappy old black and white screened Palm used to tether to my laptop via serial cable 8 years ago! Since I’m on a very long rant, may I add that I have no 3G in my area but I still pay the upgraded $30 data fee. It used to be $20 with the 1st Gen iPhone. An AT&T rep told me the increased fee was because of GPS. FYI: GPS is ran by the US Military. It’s free. That’s why you can buy a TomTom and have no monthly fees. To those saying it’s because of AGPS (assisted by cell towers), baloney! Also the network is now so bad in my area that I guarantee it’s worse than dial-up and I pretty much can’t use it. Thankfully I have wireless most places.

Ok, I think I’m done… So now for the video that got me going on all of this:

Here’s some of the stuff going through my head as I watched this:

Think of the internet as a series of tubes…

Does this guy ever give his eyebrows a rest?

Look, the 1st Gen iPhone!!! Wait… it doesn’t even support MMS!

Why didn’t they take a picture of a real switching center?

The word sorry wasn’t used once…

#fail