>>>That day has come that I always knew was coming. Customer now wants to send updates to customers via Text Message to their cell phones from within my VFP 9 management system. Anyone got any suggestions on how to and what with?
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>>Perhaps you know you can send a text message using Outlook. Most cell phone provider make up an e-mail address for their clients in the format 5555551212@fido.com (the first part being the cell phone number). Using Outlook with this recipient will send a text message to the cell phone. All you need is to automate Outlook within VFP.
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>And most phone companies don't publish this email address, or have multiple kinds of such addresses and you don't know which one applies to a particular number. Some other companies trade this information in form of a service - you install their gadget, pass the parameters (i.e. phone number, text of message) to it, and it passes the message further, keeps track of its status, leaves a log etc. The rates, AFAIK, go about a few cents per message, with some creative billing (which is the trademark of the whole cell-messaging-providership industry).
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>update: I've just found that my provider has such a service with just two rules on how to get the email address from the number. Tried several times to send myself a message and it wasn't delivered - got a bounce email.

You have to unable your cell phone to receive that type of message. But then again it would be a controlled environment. Ie company to employee.