Cui – On My WaySending Chinese SMS on iPhone
Two Talented gurus have created an individual SMS application for Chinese people who own an iPhone. Even if both can’t solve the chinese input problem completely, they DO help a lot to those chinese SMS heavy users like me. Much appreciated. Now let’s take a look.
One is from HK and the app names ChinSMS. The latest build is ChinSMS0.52.pxl, which supports multiple input methods by which both SC and TC characters can be entered.
The other is from mainland and called weSMS. The latest is WeSmsv0.2.1.fixed.7.2.pxl. Designed and developped by and for the mainland, WeSms can also write the sent sms into the iPhone’s private SMS DB.
Both are still in developping, so check their sites often for the most updated version.
For now I installed both. I like the way ChinSMS sorts contact which makes me easily add them into ‘To’ field and the ability WeSms can write the sent sms into the native Sms DB which i can check my chinese sms very easily 
Update(Oct.11,2007): Please check ChinSMS and weSMS for update. Both are keeping on improving all along.
Update(Jan.7,2008): I recommend you to install the system level Chinese input method iCosta so that not only can you send Chinese SMS but also you can input Chinese anywhere in the iphone apps like Note and Safari etc.
Related posts:
October 20th, 2007 at 12:41 am
[...] And the switch between en keyboard and ch is “.124” key. Try it out now! Time to say goodbye to my installed SMS chin apps now with much appreciation [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Hey!
)
I spend my holidays in Beijing and I watch everything here – people, streets, life. Two days ago it struck me, that I can’t imagine, how do Chinese people write sms’. I know it might sound like a stupid question, but I never learned Chinese language, never had anything in common with it. I read in a guide book, that to be able to communicate, to read paper, a man needs to know about 3000 symbols. How does it work with cell phones?
I would really appreciate the answer and not to be considered lame
Best regards,
Joanna from Poland.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Hi,Joanna
First welcome to Beijing, China. and hope you enjoy the time.
Basically there’s two ways of typing Chinese in either computer or mobile phone: PinYin(拼音) and Stroke(笔划).
To use PinYin IME(Input MEthod), you have to know how to read the Chinese character; To use Stroke IME, you have to know how to write the character, based on the specific rules defined by the IME itself.
I googled and got this. A lot of Chinese-learing tools there. You can also use this online dictionary website to find out how a Chinese character is spelled. You can even try to input Chinese by in the Stroke way. A good start point, isn’t? Google has also some other findings here, fyi.
After you have an idea of how the IME works, there’s no secret in writing Chinese sms on the phone then. As long as there’s one working Chinese IME for the phone, people can be able to enter Chinese characters on the phone, anywhere the characters can be accepted, like contact name, address and sms as well.
Hope my answer helps.
Cui