orkut SMS Scrap Available In India, Silly Bugs Found

Some time ago, orkut launched their mobile version http://m.orkut.com and recently they added SMS as a way to communicate in India. Though orkut has launched the SMS feature in India, it does not include Airtel, Vodafone and BSNL that eat up the bigger pie in the mobile market.

( TRAI Report for quarter ending January-March 2008)

Now, when you try to register your mobile in the settings page,

it asks you to verify your mobile number by sending the verification code to 56555.

But, when you click on "Having problems?" link, guess what it displays!

It says - "Currently orkut SMS works only in Brazil". That's bug #1. But, it guides you to the orkut help section where it tells about the pricing details for your carrier in India.

Despite of having a Vodafone connection, I tried to register selecting MTNL as carrier and sent the verification code to 56555, I received an SMS saying "This service is not enabled yet" and the very next message was

"Congrats, you now have orkut SMS. Reply with help for more info. Standard charges apply. Reply with "off" to turn off SMS notifications." That's bug #2.

I tried whether it works or not and it does, as I received an SMS notification for a new scrap in my scrapbook as under:-

Following is the screenshot of the mobile settings page after successfully setting up my mobile number:-

Previously, I had blogged about accessing orkut on mobile (when the xhtml version was not available) and receiving SMS notification for your email (selected operators) before this feature was available.

With these bugs, it seems like a half-baked cake. Moreover, the official orkut blog is silent. Any orkut folk listening?

Update Aug 23, 2008: orkut Team replied on this issue

and now Vodafone is officially supported in mobile settings page.




This Article Was Published At fundubytes.

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New Feature: Orkut SMS

Orkut has launched a great new feature which will enable you to receive new scrap notifications via sms.

Let us help find and configure this feature for you…

Go To mobile setting page in your orkut profile settings in order to configure this feature for your orkut profile. This new feature is available in India and Brazil only. (Also Not All Network Operators For Both Countries)

Please Note - You will have to pay for this feature (sms charges).

What is orkut SMS?
orkut SMS allows you to stay in touch with your orkut friends using text messages from your mobile phone.

How does orkut SMS work?

1.	Register your phone on the orkut website.
2.	Send SMS commands from your phone to the appropriate orkut SMS number.

SMS numbers

Brazil:	67588 (Amazônia Celular, Brasil Telecom, Claro, Oi, Telemig Celular, TIM, and Vivo only)
India:	Please check the mobile tab on your orkut settings page.
Other countries:	Not Available

Pricing

Messages sent	2 INR (all carriers except MTNL, which is 1 INR)
Notifications received	Free up to your monthly limit

Please note: orkut SMS is a premium service and you will be charged by your mobile provider. These prices are subject to change by the provider at any time.


SMS commands

on or off	Turn on/off SMS notifications of new scraps	on
reset	Reset your quota limit	reset
unregister	Unregister SMS service	unregister
scrap	Send a scrap to one of your orkut friends	scrap bob smith Have a nice day!!
contact	View the contact information (phone number, email, IM, and address) of an orkut friend	contact bob smith

This Article Was Published Partially At Orkut Plus.

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