Free Phone

Facebook recently launched a seamless messaging service. Many other companies have tried to do so recently.
What is seamless?
It simply means that the user has no need to worry over the mode of transport(sms, IM, email) of the message. Hence they don't need an email address, or IM or phone number. All they need is to type in the name!

But problem is that every smart person who's ever worked on SMS, IM, or email clients has come to this identical conclusion before.And have tried their hands on building this perfect world, whre user didn't have care about the transport (sms vs email). But, nothing such exists, does it? Some reasons...

• SMS and email are different. SMS costs money per message. Email does not.
• If i don't have a phone and send u a message on your phone through my email, u will get it through a peculiar system. something like 56006T-MAIL. Can u reply back ?? That could mess up the whole system. So could, mass mixed messaging and group chats.
• This solution doesn't actually solve any user problem. Humans were successfully texting, IMing, and emailing each other!

 So while some are saying Facebook is the new Google, I say Facebook is the new Microsoft. They're building convoluted solutions to problems no one has!

Anyways , this got me thinking why are the two systems different? What is the difference? Why is email free but messages paid?
The answer is as follows..
Internet expands in first person, while phones expand in third.

What I mean by the above statement, I say henceforth try to explain.
Assume the current internet as a box. All the computers and peripherals and all the other machines that are a part of the internet are all inside that box. Now suppose you buy a new computer X. how does X become a part of the box? How do u connect to become the part of the internet? You build your own 'hook'.
Yes, you build your own hook. By any means you pay or develop devices(hubs, switches, routers etc) to connect to the internet. All u need from the box is permission to do so. You arranged for the hook and connected to the box.

Now assume another box, the mobile world. Now again assume you buy a new phone. Now you hook up to this box and ask permission by buying a sim card and activating to a service provider. So far so good. You have arranged the hook (your handset is sending out signals) and have arranged permission too(got your number and service). But here the thing starts. That is not all !! In comes the management. Cellular service provider's main job is to manage all the connections. Handoffs while moving and huge chunk let alone sudden spikes are not uncommon. Thus they provide special management.

What was happening in the internet box was that such management to certain extent is provided by the user itself. Although ISPs have to do their job, but figure this... I request a bandwidth; If my ISP doesn't have it, I don't get it. Thats it! Whereas in the mobile box, you make a call and it has to connect more often!
So, in very short its the direct relation between reliability and management (cost).

Sms have higher reliability, email has low (no) cost.

Free Phones:

The step to build free phones i.e, free calling and messaging can be instantiated if less management is facilitated. We can build such a network.
The only price would be the initial cost.
But the system won't be as reliable. The signal simply says "Hey, too many callers on-air, no bandwidth available". But I don't mind calling later. Oh, comeon.. IT's FREE !!!


(PS: Hell, lets build it! Isn't it a step towards freedom?!! )