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Comment by dan_the_welder | Hacker News Reader

If it logs your miles from a text message, that's a bit more complicated than a website.

SMS to web gateway, process the data, update the database, connect database to website, make functional website.

These are not super complicated on their own, but having them work together well and meet user expectations/needs is another matter.

He can then sell the service or advertising on the page. Sounds like a startup business to me. Not huge or sexy but money in the bank if done well.

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Actually it's not that hard, I've done it before - once the account was set up (15 minutes) the SMS was integrated and tested in about an hour. He's certainly not opening his own SMS gateway with $500 so he's probably using a service where you get a 5 digit number that customers include in their texts (everyone has seen this I'm sure). The companies that supply this tech usually have a very easily integrated API so hooking it up is no more complex that hooking up to something like Twitter, in fact usually much simpler. Speaking of which I'd just hook it up to Twitter and let them be the gateway, saves a bunch on SMS fees (which cost you incoming - although this might be different in Australia).

Advertising is a pretty easy hook up as well, depending on the service.

Take a look at glunote.com, it's something that I threw together over a rainy weekend (and it certainly looks like it). It's for taking notes using Twitter and is probably at least as complicated as what he's doing. I'm sure there are a lot more examples around.

Twitter withdrew their SMS service in Australia quite some time ago. Both incoming SMS and calls are free in Australia.

"SMS to web gateway, process the data, update the database, connect database to website, make functional website."

..all but that last step are basically free with google app engine

Google has a SMS to web gateway on AppEngine?!?!?

GAE has email-to-web, and afaik all major cell carriers give you email-via-text for free.

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