Sending a message using Pinger will only cost you the price of a local call no matter how many people you send it to or where in the world they are.

In London, for example, you can ring 020 3051 0982, enter the numbers of the mobile phones you wish to send the message to, then leave your message.

The recipients will then receive a text message informing them that they have a voicemail, which to retrieve they call a local number. They can forward that message on and respond to you with a voicemail of their own.

Messages can be up to five minutes long and once you have used a number once you can quickly send messages to the same person again by using a speech-recognition feature.

Pinger messages can only be received on mobile phones but are carrier-independent, so it doesn't matter who your network operator is or whether you are on a pay-as-you-go or pay monthly contract.

The service is intended to appeal to those who feel frustrated by the limitations of text messaging.

"Even people who love SMS get frustrated with the small amount of characters per text and the limitations that come from not being able to simply use your voice. You can't sing Happy Birthday in a text message," said Joe Sipher, co-founder of Pinger.

Other problems with text messaging, such as misunderstandings over tone and the need to have both hands free can be overcome using the service, Sipher told Web User.

But Sipher said that Pinger offered more than standard voicemail services.

"In some ways, it's very close to voicemail, in others, it's very different. It's like comparing Tivo to a VCR. Pinger has the opportunity to become a new communication tool," he told Web User.

Though the service has obvious business applications, Sipher said that more than 90 per cent of customers in the US, where Pinger launched in September 2006, were personal users.

www.pinger.com

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