iPhone MMS finally activated by AT&T
By Michael W. Jones
At long last, users of the iPhone are now able to do what most owners of much lesser cell phones have long been able to do: they are able to send (photo) MMS messages!
AT&T has finally made good on a promise to give iPhone users the ability to send MMS (Multimedia Message Service) messages. The lack of MMS on the iPhone has been a thorn in the side of iPhone users. When Apple unveiled the iPhone OS 3.0 in June, the software had support for MMS, but the AT&T network did not. When OS 3.0 was delivered, AT&T promised that they would have support for MMS by the end of summer, a goal which they then very publicly missed. Depending on how you look at it, they are now either a month late or well over a year late, but better late than never.
Multimedia Messaging Service, by the way, is a telecommunications standard for sending messages that include multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text). MMS is an extension of the SMS standard, allowing longer message lengths and using WAP to display the content. Its most popular use is sending photographs from camera-equipped handsets, although it is also popular as a method of delivering ringtones as well. The iPhone, as supported by AT&T, is one of the last devices to support this service.
Unless you were one of the lucky few whose MMS was randomly activated about two weeks ago, you may need to connect your iPhone to your computer and click on the “Check for Updates” button in the synch section of iTunes to get the service to work. The update takes only a second, simply changing a few settings. You will then need to reboot your handset, according to a Washington Post story.
Finally, miraculously, a small camera icon will appear in the lower left corner of your display the next time you open the messaging app. In addition, you will now be able to send a library photo from the Photos app, or by accessing the photo library from the Camera app. IPhone users rejoice, for you are now able to do what users of much less capable, and less expensive, mobile phones have been able to do for years.
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