Prototype SMS text based Chain of Custody

For sometime I've been considering at work how to get data from remote places into a structured form using only mobile phones and how to get data back to consumers in a form that is relevant and instant in a shop.

A few days ago I completed a simple prototype using just SMS on a standard mobile phone to collect information, process it and do something with it and send it back to the originating mobile phone.

To try this out for yourself send an SMS message as follows:

The message should contain a valid product code. Invalid ones at the moment are not handled and no message is sent to tell you it was invalid. A valid product code that has been setup is 070707 (those are zeroes).

So create a text message and text the message 070707 to the UK number 447781482120. Within a few seconds you should receive a message back telling you the name of the product and who the companies were that had some involvement in producing it.

I'd be interested to know where this works in the world. Already I know it works in the UK, Slovenia and The Netherlands. Please leave a comment if it works for you (anonymously if you like) and tell me where you are. I know people read this all over the world so I'm keen to know how well it works. The cost of the message is whatever it costs you to text a UK number, probably just a few pence.

I'm hoping that in a future version I can identify the type of phone the request comes from and maybe even send back pictures. But this is some way off, and not supported by the current platform I am using.

For those interested in this, I am using a service provided by Clickatel to enable me to manage the interaction with the phone. (http://www.clickatell.com) It was very easy to set-up and configure.