TEXT MESSAGING

First, note that to have text messaging on your phone, you will likely need data capability service provided for the phone.  Data service is often a separate package from voice phone calls such that customers have the option of subscribing to data services or not.  If you are not sure and have started your Nextel phone service through about wireless, contact us and we will try to help determine if you have data service and what type you have subscribed to.

There are several steps to doing a text message:

1. Getting into text messaging itself
2. Writing the Message
3. Adding names (addresses) to send it to
4. Sending the message

1. GETTING INTO TEXT MESSAGING ITSELF

Depending on your Nextel phone, there may be different methods for finding the text messaging area.  Here are some of the common ones:

• On the home screen, look for and click on the "Mesgs" button.  The title for it will be on the screen lower right, and the button will the uppermost right button. (i860 and some others do this).  When in there, you may need to click on "Create Message".
• Look under "Menu" - and note that you might have to click "more" in order to get to "messages" (i860 and some others do this)
• On some phones, text messages may be under Java applications in the menu or under internet usage.

When you are in the area, click on "create message" or a similar type option.  You might also need to click on a second screen called "message" or something similar to get into the actual message writing.

2.  WRITING THE MESSAGE

The most important single item on writing the message is to understand that there are several modes that can be used for entry.  A menu symbol on your keyboard should be found that can switch between the various types of entry - which should include:  Alpha, Word, Symbol, Numbers and perhaps even more.  Ensure that you select the right one for what you need.

Word Entry - This is the most complex, but once you get used to it, it is also the fastest way if you are entering normal words.  An internal spell check guesses at the word you wish.  Select this item from the menu, and let us spell "cat".  Do the following"

• Press once on the "2 abc" button for "c"
• Press once on the "2abc" button for "a"
• Press once on the "8 tuv" button for "t"

HINT:  Now when done, the screen may show "act" which is also a possible spelling.   Keeping your cursor in the same place - right after act - press the "0" key.  The program should then cycle through another spelling of those three letters, and perhaps show you "bat" or "cat".  Cycle again till you have "cat" and then the word is done. 

• Spaces: Then put in a space in case you want another word.  Sometimes the space is on the "#" key and sometimes the right arrow will give a space.  In some unusual cases the "1" key is used for a space.
• Numbers:  you likely need to change into alpha mode or numbers mode to do this.  Note that you can also spell the numbers out if you do not wish to keep switching modes
• Punctuation:  generally punctuation is under the "1" button.  In "word" entry however, only press the "1": button once, and then press the "0" button to change the punctuation offered by the "1' key.

ALPHA ENTRY - If you have unusual words that the spelling checker might not recognize in "word entry" above, you might have to select alpha entry.  Let us spell cat in alpha entry after of course you have ensured that you have used the menu to change to alpha mode.

• Press three times on the "2 abc" button for "c"
• Either pause to ensure that the system thinks we are done, or press the forward arrow key to ensure that the cell phone knows we are ready for the next character
• Press once on the "2 abc" button for "a"
• Press once on the "8 tuv" button for "t"

Hopefully you see how this works.  Of "abc" c is the third letter, so we had to press it twice.  For the next character "a" was the first letter of "abc" so we only pressed that key once.  For character "t" that was the first letter of "tuv" so we only had to press that key once also. 

• Spaces: Then put in a space in case you want another word.  Sometimes the space is on the "#" key and sometimes the right arrow will give a space.  In some unusual cases the "1" key is used for a space.
• Numbers:  Note that if you keep pressing a key, it will also show you the number associated with that key.  For example on some cell phones if you press the "8 tuv" button four times, it will show you the number "8".
• Punctuation:  generally punctuation is under the "1" button.  Press the "1" button until you see the punctuation that you wish

NUMERIC ENTRY

Good for entering numbers only as it implies.  If you are entering a phone number and wish to also have many words around it, consider using numeric entry for the phone number but then word entry mode for the words.

SYMBOL ENTRY

Good for entering a needed symbol quickly - and it generally has more symbols than are under the letters and numbers in alpha mode.  In some phones, the unit may switch back off from symbol mode after one symbol entry - guessing that you only wanted one symbol.

3. ADDING NAMES (ADDRESSES) TO SEND IT TO

When done with the message, it is time to get out of message mode and back to contacts.  On some phones there may be a "back" button. But on many others, such as the i860 this is done by just pressing the "ok" button that is in the center of the arrow keys near the cell phone top.

Then find the "to" section of the message and then press the "ok" button.  The screen may then show you a list of empty contact names.   The easiest path here, and the only one that we will describe, is to use your contact list.  There should be a button for contacts "contcs" or similar.  This button is the upper left button on an i860 phone at this point.  Going into contacts, one can now select the people on the list.  Remember that text messages to phones usually go to the phones themselves.  You of course, though, can also send to their email addresses which they might not notice as quickly as their cell phones.

When going through the address book for contacts recall that if the person you are after has a name starting with "r" that you can go there faster by pressing the "7 pqrs" key three times to show that you want the "r" - and the address book should get near the "r"'s.  Then of course you can use the arrow keys to get to the exact contact that you wish.

When done with all of the contacts that you wish, press "done" or "back" or "ok" as your cell phone demands, such that you can back to a text message state where you can see the first part of the message plus the first contact that the message will be sent to.

4. SENDING THE MESSAGE

Ensure you have entered both the message and the contacts, and then have gone back into the message till you see the possibility of "send" displayed.  Then when ready, choose to send the message.

If all is well, the message should now be on its way.  If this seems complex, it does become easier in time.  Like many things, it just takes some getting used to.

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