Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 478,197 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,287 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 107,665 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,287 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 107,665 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,232 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 478,197 cutting edge ideas.

40 Text Message Innovations

From Amputations by SMS to Texts from the Pope

— December 8, 2008 — Tech
Before the era of Twitter and 140-character micro-blogging, there was SMS and text messaging. It’s hard to believe how much text messaging has evolved since the early days of SMS-speak (C U L8R?).

Today’s texter can receive not only short messages from their friends, but also pictures, links and video. And they’ll receive messages from friends as well as their credit card company, spammers and third-party applications.

The minor inconvenience that SMS spam poses also allows a user to text message for some pretty sweet services. In Finland, SMS opens bathroom doors; elsewhere, Trapster lets you alert other drivers of speed traps, control UFOs and even read religious sermons.

These capabilities sound pretty superficial, but text messaging saved a Congolese boy’s life when British surgeon David Nott was faced with a decision to either perform an exceedingly risky amputation he’d never before conducted or let the boy die in the hospital. He text messaged a colleague, who had successfully performed the amputation, and received explicit details on how to conduct the procedure--all via SMS.
5.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
39
Hands-Free E-mail and SMS
Hands-Free E-mail and SMS
Jott Mobile Messaging
<
38
Food That Texts You When It Spoils
Food That Texts You When It Spoils
Mold Alerts
<
37
New Years Texting
New Years Texting
Millions Choose SMS Over Calls, Breaking Records
<
36
Social Tagging Via SMS
Social Tagging Via SMS
Text Your Location With Plazes
<
35
Chinese Are World's Most Active Texters
Chinese Are World's Most Active Texters
70% Prefer SMS to Email
<
34
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2.0
Talk Like a Pirate Day 2.0
ayePhone App Translates Text Messages
<
33
Automatic Car Secretaries
Automatic Car Secretaries
DriveAssist Intercepts Texts and Calls While Driving
<
32
Shopping by Text Message
Shopping by Text Message
Amazon TextBuyIt
<
31
Emergency SMS Broadcasting
Emergency SMS Broadcasting
How Your Mobile Can Save Your Life
<
30
Texting on the Run
Texting on the Run
Padded Lampposts Protect London SMSing Pedestrians
<
29
Contraception Via SMS
Contraception Via SMS
The PillBell Reminder
<
28
Giant Scale Public Texting
Giant Scale Public Texting
NYC Artist Asks Londoners About Street Crime
<
27
Worshipping God Via Mobile Phone
Worshipping God Via Mobile Phone
SpinVox Voice-to-Text Sermons
<
26
Next Gen Baby Naming
Next Gen Baby Naming
SMS Language Influences Name Choice
<
25
Speed Trap Alerts via SMS
Speed Trap Alerts via SMS
Trapster.com
<
24
SMS Mirror
SMS Mirror
Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Sent That Text?
<
23
Cyber Bullying
Cyber Bullying
High Tech Harrassment via SMS, Email
<
22
Pizza Via SMS
Pizza Via SMS
Papa John's, Domino's Accept Text Orders
<
21
New SMS Language
New SMS Language
Teens Using Codes to Throw Off Adults
<
20
Tracking Employee Texting
Tracking Employee Texting
TextGuard Blocks Blackberry SMS
<
19
Text Lights
Text Lights
Nathan Coley's Floating Text Messages
<
18
Smexting
Smexting
The SMS Phenomenon Caused By Smoking Bans
<
17
Texting Olympics
Texting Olympics
LG Canadian Texting Championship
<
16
Cartoon Thumb Fitness
Cartoon Thumb Fitness
Vinaphone Text Campaign
<
15
Text A Sketch
Text A Sketch
SMS Art
<
14
SMS Controlled UFOs
SMS Controlled UFOs
Untitled (UFO) with 3,000 LEDs
<
13
Digital Religion
Digital Religion
Pope Reaches Out With Text Messages
<
12
Mobile Device Gloves
Mobile Device Gloves
Freehands for Cold-Weather Texting
<
11
Gotta Pee? SMS The Door- New Public Toilets System in Finland
Gotta Pee? SMS The Door- New Public Toilets System in Finland
<
10
Cheeky Bean Bags
Cheeky Bean Bags
Meanbags The Low Tech SMS?
<
9
Text Message Breakups
Text Message Breakups
Finlands 'Sexiest Man' Dumps Girlfriend via SMS
<
8
Text Message Wrist Bands
Text Message Wrist Bands
The Wristlet Concept
<
7
Shyno
Shyno
T-Shirts For SMS Dating
<
6
Underwater SMS for Divers
Underwater SMS for Divers
UDI Digital Texting
<
5
Digital Fountain Pen
Digital Fountain Pen
Send SMS and Email
<
4
Needlepoint SMS
Needlepoint SMS
‘Embroidered Text Messages'
<
3
Anonymous Texts at Bus Stops
Anonymous Texts at Bus Stops
Big Brother's Creepy Bluetooth Campaign
<
2
Innovative Texting Devices
Innovative Texting Devices
SMS Text Messager
<
1
Holographic Text Messages
Holographic Text Messages
Viral Video Previews HoloText iPhone Concept
<