UPDATE: Unfortunately, sasanet no longer offers free sms services. However, you can click here to find alternatives.
A hack is an interesting or unusual way of using something. It may also mean using something for a purpose it was not intended for. For example, modifying your bicycle to generate electricity would be a hack or modifying your blogger template would also be a hack. See formal definition here.
The hack I’m about to describe isn’t strictly a hack but still, its the closest thing to home I could think of. If you have any suggestions of other hacks please, by all means, get in touch with me!!
As some of you may know, sasanet allows one to send ten free text messages per day. Wouldn’t it be neat if you could send these messages from your phone instead of computer? Then it’d be like you get Ksh. 50 free everyday!! (Not quite, but close.) Anyway, you can do exactly that. Just download Opera Mini for your phone and use it to access sasanet from your phone!! Try this out using the Opera Mini simulator and see for yourself – it works!!
You have to download Opera mini to be able to access sasanet from many phones as their native browsers cannot. Was this cool, for a hack?
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Hi there. I’ve been using Opera Mini for about a year now, but I didn’t think of trying out the free sms’es from sasanet. I’ll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the hook up
Another cool way to use sasanet.co.ke is to set up an account using a sim card that you don’t normally use and making that account available to freinds or family not in Kenya – now they can sms you 10 times a day – for free!!
Thanks for the comment, Archer. you’re welcome.
Hi Nice Site,
Is SASANET a cellphone network provider in Kenya?
I’m from South Africa, and I came across the same kind of thing!
We have CellC, MTN, and Vodacom, each provide a number of free SMSs.
Couple of years ago, opera mini couldn’t display javascript pages so well, e.g. vodacom4me.co.za, so I wrote a script that will login for the user and send their sms’s from their mobile!
Free SMS South Africa – wap.defza.com
I also have it for CellC and MTN.
People like free SMS.
This kind of free SMS won’t go away, because it’s only free SMS for your own network, e.g. MTN to MTN sms.
In other words, similar to wadja.com etc. (check wap.defza.com/sms or Free Communication for my list of free SMS sites etc), these “Send sms to anywhere, sponsored by advertizing” sites are difficult to maintain, because who is going to advertize on the SMSs to fund it?!
Nowadays, Opera Mini is able to do most sites, so my wap site isn’t really needed, but people like it because it’s easier and cleaner to use! And you can auto-login without retyping your details in every time via bookmark!
Cheers!
David