I text a lot. Like a massive amount. I know I am not the only one. I see it everywhere around me. People are texting at the grocery store, on the highway, at the gym, in the mall, and at the bar.

My mom even texts now.

When you send and receive as many text messages as much as I do, you come to learn about some cool things you can do with your cell phone using SMS (Short Message Service) technology. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite things to do using SMS.

1) Google 411 Service

I have grown quite accustomed to google’s 411 services. It’s so easy to use and it has become quite a crutch for me when I am on the go and nowhere near a wi-fi enabled computing device.

A coworker sent out a company wide email a few months ago turning me on to this service. Say you are looking a Coffee Shop in White Plains, NY. Simply text the word ‘coffee shop’ to 466453 (GOOGLE). Alternatively, you can also text the word ‘coffee shop’ to the zip code of the region you are in.

Google will send you a text message back with a set of results that includes the name of the venue, the address, and the telephone number. If you have GPS , you can plug the address into your navigation system and you will be on your way to your destination in no time at all.

I use this service constantly. You can get pretty specific with it also. I was in Stamford, Connecticut once and needed to get to a Best Buy ASAP. I texted Google with ‘Best Buy, Stamford CT’. There was no Best Buy in Stamford, but Google messaged me back with the next closest location, a best buy in Norwalk, Connecticut. I was irresponsibly spending my money on nerdy electronics in next to no time at all.

You can also find out the weather, movie times, prices of electronics, and all other types of information just buy texting a keyword and your zip code to 466453 (GOOGLE).

For more information on Google’s SMS services, check out their site here.

2) LoHud.com breaking news and traffic alerts

Remember: Life is worth living.

(Photo Courtesy of NYS Thruway Authority)

The good people here at LoHud.com send out breaking news and traffic alerts from time to time. If the Tappan Zee bridge is jammed up, we let you know. If someone hits a moose on the Palisades parkway and traffic is heavily congested, we let you know. If a car turns over in 684, we let you know.

Get the picture?

Signing up for our breaking news text alerts is pretty easy. You can check out our full line of mobile services by visiting the LoHud.com mobile page. If you don’t feel like navigating to our mobile page, simply text the word LOHUD to 44636. This will allow you to opt into our breaking news SMS service.

We are also developing an SMS service that will let you know if your school is closed or delayed due to inclement weather. Keep an eye out for that.

3) facebook mobile

There are two things I need to know on an hourly, sometimes quarter hourly, basis.

1) What is the weather like outside?
2) Who is leaving me messages or comments on facebook?

Luckily for me, facebook will send me a text message every time someone does one of the aforementioned actions. Thank you, mobile facebook application.

Another cool feature is the ‘Mobile uploads’ functionality. If you install the mobile facebook application, facebook will assign you an email address. You can forward pictures and video from your mobile device to that email address. Once the message is successfully transmitted, facebook posts the media , in real time, to your account.

I use this feature a lot.

4) Watching my waistline

About.com offers a cool service that allows you to text the name of a restaurant and the type of food you are eating to 432584. About.com will tell you how many calories are in the item of food, and also assigns it a ‘health grade’. I just texted the name ‘Mcdonalds’ and the word ‘Big Mac’ to 432584 and got this result:

Mcdonald’s Big Mac
560 Cal, Grade D+
1 Sandwich 219.0g

It even tells you the weight son!

A search for ‘Burger King’ and ‘Whopper with Cheese’ yields this result:

Burger King Original Whopper with Cheese Sandwich
640 Cal, Grade D+
1 Sandwich 294.0G

5) Info on homes for sale

Ever walk past a house that is for sale and wonder what it costs?

Not that I can afford a house in Westchester county, but I do this a lot when I walk my dog.

Housefront.com offers a service that allows you to text the street address to HOUSE (46873). Your result set will include the year the house was built, the square footage, the number of bedrooms/bathrooms and the estimated price.

6) Text to vote

“Text to vote” is becoming a standard feature when watching prime time television. American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Big Brother all utilize this technology.

It wouldn’t be a blog authored by me if I didn’t squeeze in something about mixed martial arts.

Last week at Buffalo Wild Wings; my friend Germain and I were watching the UFC PPV where Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship. At a certain point in the night, my friend Germain grabs his phone, as if triggered by a sudden reflex, and immediately starts texting. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was texting his fight prediction to the UFC. Simple send 1 if you think Randy Couture will win and send 2 if you think Brock Lesnar will win. About four or five times throughout the night they show the statistics.

So there you have it. Six ways I utilize SMS messages to make my life easier and more entertaining. If you have any cool SMS tips you would like to share, feel free to comment.