SMS Server - Final Chapter?

My final project is to create a SMS (Simple Mail Service) Server which would function in a similar fashion as the BlueTooth Kiosk Server.

Since most SMS traffic is handled by the carrier I thought this might be a show stopper. Turns out Microsoft India has created a SMS Server for farmers in India (now Vietnam) that provided a low cost ubiquitous solution that replaced a PC network solution. The project is call Warana and you can click here for more information and the SMS SDK they created to develop the SMS server. If you Google Warana SMS Server, you will see several articles on the project.

Although poor farmers in India do not share much with American community college students, the use of SMS to inexpensive SMS servers controlled by someone other than the carrier can ver a very attractive option for cash strapped I/T budgets.

How it might work

A MS Smartphone is connected via a USB connection to a personal computer. The client uses their cell phone to send the Smartphone a message. The Smartphone receives the message ands hands it over to the PC via the Microsoft ActiveSync software bridge. The message is evaluated with a Visual Studio created program that is using the SMS SDK. If the message requires a data update or response, the database connected to the PC is called with the appropriate file maintenance commands. If data needs to be returned to the caller, a SMS message sends back a SMS message.

It could be class information, school calendar, a message to the instructor to be picked up later, etc..

Now the Show Stopper... :(

I have tried to replicate what was done in India but without a MS Smartphone, I am more or less at a dead end. Where as I have been able to use emulation or my MS PDA for other projects, this one may require the real deal (i.e. A MS Smartphone as opposed to my non-MS Dumb one..)
I am going to see if I can get around this issue but this project might have to be another grant where monies can be reserved for acquisition of a MS-SmartPhone.

Wrapping Up

As it getting close to the end of the semester so goes my sabbatical. I will be finishing up editing the mobileDot web site and seeing if I can get some traffic to my mobileDot Google group. I am also going to see about presenting at one or two events next semester at GCC and at another MCCCD location on mobile learning tech.