Text Messaging Featured Article

When disaster strikes, the untold calamity that is caused in its wake is indescribable. Lives and belongings are lost, families are separated, cellular networks are down and communication is next to impossible. This was what happened when typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, but textPlus, the mobile communications service rose to the occasion by donating free calling minutes.

This is not the first time that textPlus has used its technology to help during disasters. During last year's Superstorm Sandy, 10 million free textPlus calling minutes were donated to keep victims and their loved ones in contact.

"It is our belief that technology is meant to help during emergencies like this," said Scott Lahman , founder and CEO of textPlus.

The textPlus app is as good as or perhaps better than a wireless carrier in that it offers choice, savings and reliability to consumers and a better phone experience. In the typhoon-stricken Philippines, those using the app could dial any mobile or landline number for free to check in on family and friends.

Calling and texting occurs over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G; hence, regardless of the status of cellular networks, the textPlus app can be used in or out of the Philippines to help people stay connected.

Ever since textPlus offered free calls to affected areas, the service noted that overall call activity to the region has soared and appears to be unabated. This is borne out by figures that indicate a 50 percent increase in the number of callers, 260 percent increase in the number of minutes used for talking and a 190 percent increase in the number of calls.

"We hope that our service can help reconnect families and friends affected by this devastating storm. Our thoughts are with those lost in this terrible disaster and for those whose long path to recovery is now only beginning," said Lahman.

textPlus is available for iOS, Android, Windows and Nokia (News - Alert) smartphones and devices including iPod touch and tablets. The service offers unlimited free text and a free phone number to any number in the United States or Canada. Calls and texts are free to the 50 million other text+ users. The service notes that calling is much cheaper than any carrier and even cheaper than Skype (News - Alert).