What is FrontlineSMS?
Frontline SMS is free, bulk SMS software designed for NGOs and grassroots organizations. The software is not web-based, so all data is stored on a local computer instead of a central server. It sends SMS messages through either one or more mobile phones or a modem connected to the computer. The initial version was designed by Ken Banks in 2005 and a rebuild was released in May 2008. The most recent version as of this writing is 1.4.8.,released in August 2008.
Use cases
Perhaps the star use case is that of a Stanford University-sponsored pilot project in Malawi, a pilot slated to run until next year. The project uses SMS to enable communication between St. Gabriel's Hospital, a hospital in Namitete, Malawi, and about 600 rural health workers. Some messages are sent from community health workers asking for doctors visits or to monitor TB or HIV/AIDS drug compliance. Other messages are automated to include information about drug dosage and other medical issues.
For example, if a health worker sends a message to the system that includes the name of a drug, she will receive an automated message with dosage information. Josh Nesbit, a student at Stanford in the Human Biology Program, who set up Frontline at the hospita says that FrontlineSMS there is currently running with a GSM modem, but Nesbit was able to successfully use it with Nokia 6100 and 6200 phones. He used a CA-42 cable that he ordered off eBay in the United States to connect the phones to the computer. He said that the hospital is currently sending about 300 messages per week but eventually hopes to send closer to 600. Nesbit said that the only problems that he's experienced involved using a Motorola V195 (an unsupported phone) and receiving messages that are longer than 160 characters. "If there are more than 160 characters some of the messages are nonsensical," he said. One unique way that Nesbit has used Frontline is by programming the system to automatically add credit to the health workers' phones. "[The health workers] text their ID number and the word 'units,' and when they send the message Frontline sends a command to Celtel's network to top off that specific health worker," he said.
In an email to MobileActive, Amanda Atwood of Kubatana.net wrote about using FrontlineSMS in Zimbabwe. "We have really come to rely on Frontline in our communications programmes, particularly as a tool to receive text messages," she wrote. "We regularly send out messages in which we solicit comments or feedback from our subscribers, and having Frontline enables us to process replies as a text file or excel file - rather than trying to quickly transcribe them from a handset before the inbox capacity got too full."
Several other users that MobileActive was able to find had tested the software but had yet to put it into use. Robert Soriano, working with SOS SMS, said at the time of the interview that he would consider migrating SOS SMS to FrontlineSMS, but that the current 160 character limit on received messages was problematic for communications with his project. He found the software quite easy to setup and run using a modem, but said that getting compatible handsets and cables was difficult.
Soriano tested the software with two modems: a Siemens MC35i connected via serial to com1 port, with baud rate of 115200, used for receiving TXT message and a Siemens MC35i connected via USB to com5 port, using Prolific usb to serial device and driver, with baud rate of 230400, use for sending TXT messages. He found no problems in modem detection, no problems in setting up the modems, and was able to connect to Clickatell, and was even be able to receive messages longer than 160 characters. It is worth noting, however, that Soriano is a highly technically skilled tester.
The write-up of his scenario testing is here on the Frontline Ning Support Site.
Robert Fitzgerald, working with the Cambodia Crop Production and Marketing Project, is also testing the software and plans to use it in fall 2008. "Our broad project is about improving the production and marketing systems of rice and soybeans," Fitzgerald told MobileActive. "We're going to be looking at the production side of things, and the SMS communication system will figure in both sides." The FrontlineSMS system will replace their old system, called InfoTXT, a proprietary service. Fitzgerald noted that the real attraction to Frontline was the potential of an active open source community, that that "will allow us to work with partners to build modules." Fitzgerald is using the system using an Enfora GSM modem, and said that he had no problems with installation or sending and receiving messages. "Basically we plugged the modem in and worked," he said. "Most users would be able to install it."
Ken Banks, Frontline’s developed, told us in July 2008 that Frontline will become open source in about by October thanks to funding that he received from the Open Society Institute. As of the time of this writing the code has not been released.
Obtaining Frontline
To use FrontlineSMS, users must request a download from the FrontlineSMS website. Banks said that he doesn't allow for direct downloads off of the website because he needs to keep track of users for funding and administrative purposes. The downside of this is that there can be a delay in response of several days before receiving an invite to actually download the software. Having to provide information about their intended use of the software may also deter some users.
Fortunately, the download process will no longer be an issue once the software is fully open sourced and available through a publicly available code repository.
After installing the software through an easy-to-use wizard (for Windows users) or short manual installation process, users can create groups and contacts within the application's address book. SMS messages can be sent to either individuals or groups through either a mobile phone or modem connected to the computer.
FrontlineSMS can also receive messages and sort messages based on keywords and send automatic responses if certain keywords are received.
Who uses it
Despite wide publicity on mailing lists and in mainstream and NGO media advertising the product, it seems that not many organizations are actually deploying Frontline SMS consistently or at any scale. The map on the FrontlineSMS website shows people who downloaded the software but not those are not necessarily actual users.
Despite a wide-spread call for users through our various networks, we were able to locate less than ten organizations that have actually deployed the tool, all of which agreed to talk to us and share their experiences. We heard from many testers and welcome their findings, but would also like to see more actual deployment in the field of the tool.
Technical Considerations
One of the biggest challenges for any mobile application is the myriads of different types mobile phones and operating systems. "The biggest challenge is a technical one, trying to deal with a handset market that suffers from a lack of standards," Banks said. "If you buy a phone and plug it into a computer all sorts of things can go wrong. A lot of cheap cables don't actually work that well and then the phone doesn't work as it should." The FrontlineSMS website contains [a list of mobile phones and modems that "work", "partially work", and "don't work."
"The current version will work on any phone that supports AT command," said Ken. "So it won't work on Blackberries, Symbian phones, Windows Mobile, or iPhones." He said that he suspected that most of the NGOs that used the application would be using lower-end phones that would be likely to work with the software. The software also works with some GSM modems.
However, even if users are able to find phones that work they still have to find a cable that can be plugged into both the phone and the computer -- usually a cable with a mini USB port on one end and a USB port on the other. These cables don't come with most compatible phones and are often difficult to find, especially in developing countries.
If you are planning to buy a cable, be sure to take the phone you plan to use with you - mini USB ports actually come in several different shapes, and it's easy to buy a cable that looks right but doesn't actually fit.
The users and testers that we found had some contradicting information. Some noted that the set-up and testing was easy, others noted that configuring modems and handsets required technical skills beyond the reach of non-technical grassroots NGO users. This probably depends to some extent on the operating system and phone/modem used, as some combinations seem more problematic than others. In our tests, the same phone and cable worked absolutely fine on a Mac (OS X Leopard) but not at all on another PC running Ubuntu Linux (Hardy Heron).
Kubatana Zimbabwe, uses Frontline SMS extensively and has for some time, even the earlier release. Kubatana faced some challenges in trying to get FrontlineSMS set up. The organization currently use a Wavecom Fastrack modem, which runs smoothly but took some time to get to work. "The big advantage of these modems is the reliability with which they interact with Frontline," said administrator Amanda Atwood in an email message. "They are not easy to set up - you have to set the baud rate via hyperterminal, which can be a challenge - and a source of tedium and frustration--if you're not very familiar with the process." The organizations has also successfully ran Frontline with a Siemens Samba 75 GSM/GPRS/EDGE USB modem.
Atwood said that in Zimbabwe Frontline could send only limited quantities of messages. She wrote, "One thing we've found is that Frontline's capacity to send messages is limited - particularly because of how congested Zimbabwe's mobile phone networks are, and how many tries it can take to successfully send a message - all of this slows down Frontline. We've found that if the subscriber list is over 300, it becomes a bit more than Frontline can handle on our slow networks - the trying and multiple re-trying that it takes to get a message to send can really bog things down. Where a group wants to send to a list larger than a few hundred, we often recommend that in Zimbabwe they break this up into multiple address books - and stagger their mailings so that they are sending to smaller batches of numbers at a given time. If their subscriber list is in the several thousands or larger, they might want look for a web based commercial bulk SMS gateway, such as Clickatel. They could use this gateway to send messages, and still use Frontline with one of the modems and lines discussed above to receive responses.""
Our Tests
We tested the Mac version of FrontlineSMS, using a Motorola L6 phone to send and receive SMS. After one or two false starts (unable to install on another Mac, and unable to detect the phone on Ubuntu Linux), the installation of the working version was a simple process of copying some additional libraries into the Java environment. An automated installer would be comforting for users not familiar with the command line - this is only available in the Windows version of the software for now. The first step was to get the phone detected and configured. Having had problems on Ubuntu with the same phone, we approached with skepticism. In fact, auto detection worked flawlessly. If you have access to a phone that has been reported as working with Frontline, the likelihood of it being autodetected correctly puts you at an immediate advantage. We didn't need to play with the manual configuration settings, but they are easily accessible from the phones tab.
Once the phone was detected and configured (easy to tell, as it will move to the working phones list) we were ready to explore the rest of the application. The first tab, the FrontlineSMS 'home screen', provides easy access to regularly used functionality, including sending an SMS, and reviewing the most recent incoming and outgoing messages. This is obviously designed for regular users, and is a little confusing the first time you see it. Unfortunately, the Mac version has a slight display bug that prevents the send button from being visible, adding to the confusion about how to get started. A walk-through document for first time users would be helpful here. Although the existing documentation is both clear and thorough, it tends to explain concepts in terms of how to access them from the application rather than considering how various functions might form part of a work flow.
Having failed to send an SMS from the home screen, we decided to try the long way round - adding contacts on the contacts tab, organizing them into a group and sending a message to the group. The contacts tab makes it easy to add and organize contacts, although some of the steps required are a little counter-intuitive - drag and drop doesn't work between the contacts list and the groups list, for example, and the difference between deleting a contact entirely (for which there is a handy button) and removing a contact from a group (only accomplished by right-clicking the contact) isn't clear from the interface. First-time users may want to play around a bit before working with important data!
Fortunately, FrontlineSMS includes data export and import functionality, allowing the database of contacts, messages and keywords to be easily backed up or transferred. The application also supports importing a list of contacts from a text file in a predefined format, which could be used to speed up data capture and avoid re-entering contact lists already stored electronically.
To send the message, we initially tried the Messages tab. As it turns out, this tab is more for monitoring messages sent and received - it's easier to send messages to groups or individuals from the Contacts tab, before switching to the messages tab to check that the message has been sent. Once we got the hang of this, sending SMS was very easy, and the messages tab provided useful feedback of message status. This is important as it can sometimes take a while for the message to be sent (this should be faster on a GSM modem than on a phone), during which time you need to keep FrontlineSMS running.
A further option for users who require large-volume messaging and have access to the Internet is to use Clickatell to send SMS. Users still need to reply to a phone number, so this setup still requires a phone and modem, but may be significantly cheaper for bulk messaging. The Keywords tab allows users to configure an automatic reply message, which will be sent in response to SMS containing a predefined keyword. Automatic reply messages can be tracked through the messages tab. However, it is worth noting that automatic replies are only sent to messages received while FrontlineSMS is running - although a message received on the phone will be shown in the incoming messages tab, it will not get a retrospective auto-response.
Keywords can also be configured to add the sender to a group, or remove them from one. This effectively implements subscribe and unsubscribe options, although there is no way for users to remove their information from the database entirely.
What we thought
One thing that's certain with FrontlineSMS is that its reputation precedes it. The software has been around in various version since 2005, and we found that it is well known among groups working with developing world mobile applications.
Firstly, and most importantly for many users, FrontlineSMS provides a simple way to send and receive SMSs on a PC, with contact management and grouping ability for bulk messaging. Provided installation comes off without a hitch and you are using a supported phone, this should allow new users to get started quickly, after which they can explore some of the more advanced functionality.
While the user interface is occasionally confusing, the documentation clearly describes the role and function of each screen. There is also a supportive user community, and developers actively respond to user questions in the forum. This makes the software ideal for groups who are just beginning to explore the potential for using mobiles in their work.
FrontlineSMS is not a mass messaging system - as noted by Amanda Atwood of Kubatana.net, sending messages through a phone is slower than using a GSM modem, and even a modem struggles to send more than 300 messages. Similarly, the requirement that the software runs continuously for the keyword-based autoreply makes it unsuitable for a situation where a large volume of incoming messages are expected. Generally, FrontlineSMS is less suitable for organisations that are confident with running mobile campaigns, and want to run complicated keyword-based campaigns or reach large numbers of people.
What's next
More advanced functionality, currently being developed, will be available from the E-mails and Forms tabs in the near future. The ability to design forms for data collection is likely to be particularly interesting to organizations exploring alternatives to paper-based processes. Once designed, the completed form (effectively a Java programme) can be sent to a Java-enabled phone for use in the field. The data that is collected will be sent back to FrontlineSMS, where it can be displayed and exported as necessary.
While other systems provide similar functionality (RapidSMS allows users to define an input format for message parsing, and the OpenROSA consortium is developing various impementations of their mobile xforms standard), this should attract existing FrontlineSMS users and people wanting to try out cellphone-based data collection with a low barrier to entry.
FrontlineSMS founder Ken Banks hoped to have the Forms functionality completed by the end of October 2008. Along with the release of new functionality, 2009 should finally see the open source release of FrontlineSMS. This will please developers, who will now be able to get their hands on the code and make modifications.
One area that this could particularly benefit is the number of working phones, as there are likely to be many phones that 'almost work', and could be made usable with minor code tweaks. At the same time, the accumulated knowledge of phone hardware embodied in the phone auto-detection code is a valuable contribution to the open source community. (This review was conducted in October 2008)
What is FrontlineSMS?
Frontline SMS is free, bulk SMS software designed for NGOs and grassroots organizations. The software is not web-based, so all data is stored on a local computer instead of a central server. It sends SMS messages through either one or more mobile phones or a modem connected to the computer. The initial version was designed by Ken Banks in 2005 and a rebuild was released in May 2008. The most recent version as of this writing is 1.4.8.,released in August 2008.
Use cases
Perhaps the star use case is that of a Stanford University-sponsored pilot project in Malawi, a pilot slated to run until next year. The project uses SMS to enable communication between St. Gabriel's Hospital, a hospital in Namitete, Malawi, and about 600 rural health workers. Some messages are sent from community health workers asking for doctors visits or to monitor TB or HIV/AIDS drug compliance. Other messages are automated to include information about drug dosage and other medical issues.
For example, if a health worker sends a message to the system that includes the name of a drug, she will receive an automated message with dosage information. Josh Nesbit, a student at Stanford in the Human Biology Program, who set up Frontline at the hospita says that FrontlineSMS there is currently running with a GSM modem, but Nesbit was able to successfully use it with Nokia 6100 and 6200 phones. He used a CA-42 cable that he ordered off eBay in the United States to connect the phones to the computer. He said that the hospital is currently sending about 300 messages per week but eventually hopes to send closer to 600. Nesbit said that the only problems that he's experienced involved using a Motorola V195 (an unsupported phone) and receiving messages that are longer than 160 characters. "If there are more than 160 characters some of the messages are nonsensical," he said. One unique way that Nesbit has used Frontline is by programming the system to automatically add credit to the health workers' phones. "[The health workers] text their ID number and the word 'units,' and when they send the message Frontline sends a command to Celtel's network to top off that specific health worker," he said.
In an email to MobileActive, Amanda Atwood of Kubatana.net wrote about using FrontlineSMS in Zimbabwe. "We have really come to rely on Frontline in our communications programmes, particularly as a tool to receive text messages," she wrote. "We regularly send out messages in which we solicit comments or feedback from our subscribers, and having Frontline enables us to process replies as a text file or excel file - rather than trying to quickly transcribe them from a handset before the inbox capacity got too full."
Several other users that MobileActive was able to find had tested the software but had yet to put it into use. Robert Soriano, working with SOS SMS, said at the time of the interview that he would consider migrating SOS SMS to FrontlineSMS, but that the current 160 character limit on received messages was problematic for communications with his project. He found the software quite easy to setup and run using a modem, but said that getting compatible handsets and cables was difficult.
Soriano tested the software with two modems: a Siemens MC35i connected via serial to com1 port, with baud rate of 115200, used for receiving TXT message and a Siemens MC35i connected via USB to com5 port, using Prolific usb to serial device and driver, with baud rate of 230400, use for sending TXT messages. He found no problems in modem detection, no problems in setting up the modems, and was able to connect to Clickatell, and was even be able to receive messages longer than 160 characters. It is worth noting, however, that Soriano is a highly technically skilled tester.
The write-up of his scenario testing is here on the Frontline Ning Support Site.
Robert Fitzgerald, working with the Cambodia Crop Production and Marketing Project, is also testing the software and plans to use it in fall 2008. "Our broad project is about improving the production and marketing systems of rice and soybeans," Fitzgerald told MobileActive. "We're going to be looking at the production side of things, and the SMS communication system will figure in both sides." The FrontlineSMS system will replace their old system, called InfoTXT, a proprietary service. Fitzgerald noted that the real attraction to Frontline was the potential of an active open source community, that that "will allow us to work with partners to build modules." Fitzgerald is using the system using an Enfora GSM modem, and said that he had no problems with installation or sending and receiving messages. "Basically we plugged the modem in and worked," he said. "Most users would be able to install it."
Ken Banks, Frontline’s developed, told us in July 2008 that Frontline will become open source in about by October thanks to funding that he received from the Open Society Institute. As of the time of this writing the code has not been released.
Obtaining Frontline
To use FrontlineSMS, users must request a download from the FrontlineSMS website. Banks said that he doesn't allow for direct downloads off of the website because he needs to keep track of users for funding and administrative purposes. The downside of this is that there can be a delay in response of several days before receiving an invite to actually download the software. Having to provide information about their intended use of the software may also deter some users.
Fortunately, the download process will no longer be an issue once the software is fully open sourced and available through a publicly available code repository.
After installing the software through an easy-to-use wizard (for Windows users) or short manual installation process, users can create groups and contacts within the application's address book. SMS messages can be sent to either individuals or groups through either a mobile phone or modem connected to the computer.
FrontlineSMS can also receive messages and sort messages based on keywords and send automatic responses if certain keywords are received.
Who uses it
Despite wide publicity on mailing lists and in mainstream and NGO media advertising the product, it seems that not many organizations are actually deploying Frontline SMS consistently or at any scale. The map on the FrontlineSMS website shows people who downloaded the software but not those are not necessarily actual users.
Despite a wide-spread call for users through our various networks, we were able to locate less than ten organizations that have actually deployed the tool, all of which agreed to talk to us and share their experiences. We heard from many testers and welcome their findings, but would also like to see more actual deployment in the field of the tool.
Technical Considerations
One of the biggest challenges for any mobile application is the myriads of different types mobile phones and operating systems. "The biggest challenge is a technical one, trying to deal with a handset market that suffers from a lack of standards," Banks said. "If you buy a phone and plug it into a computer all sorts of things can go wrong. A lot of cheap cables don't actually work that well and then the phone doesn't work as it should." The FrontlineSMS website contains [a list of mobile phones and modems that "work", "partially work", and "don't work."
"The current version will work on any phone that supports AT command," said Ken. "So it won't work on Blackberries, Symbian phones, Windows Mobile, or iPhones." He said that he suspected that most of the NGOs that used the application would be using lower-end phones that would be likely to work with the software. The software also works with some GSM modems.
However, even if users are able to find phones that work they still have to find a cable that can be plugged into both the phone and the computer -- usually a cable with a mini USB port on one end and a USB port on the other. These cables don't come with most compatible phones and are often difficult to find, especially in developing countries.
If you are planning to buy a cable, be sure to take the phone you plan to use with you - mini USB ports actually come in several different shapes, and it's easy to buy a cable that looks right but doesn't actually fit.
The users and testers that we found had some contradicting information. Some noted that the set-up and testing was easy, others noted that configuring modems and handsets required technical skills beyond the reach of non-technical grassroots NGO users. This probably depends to some extent on the operating system and phone/modem used, as some combinations seem more problematic than others. In our tests, the same phone and cable worked absolutely fine on a Mac (OS X Leopard) but not at all on another PC running Ubuntu Linux (Hardy Heron).
Kubatana Zimbabwe, uses Frontline SMS extensively and has for some time, even the earlier release. Kubatana faced some challenges in trying to get FrontlineSMS set up. The organization currently use a Wavecom Fastrack modem, which runs smoothly but took some time to get to work. "The big advantage of these modems is the reliability with which they interact with Frontline," said administrator Amanda Atwood in an email message. "They are not easy to set up - you have to set the baud rate via hyperterminal, which can be a challenge - and a source of tedium and frustration--if you're not very familiar with the process." The organizations has also successfully ran Frontline with a Siemens Samba 75 GSM/GPRS/EDGE USB modem.
Atwood said that in Zimbabwe Frontline could send only limited quantities of messages. She wrote, "One thing we've found is that Frontline's capacity to send messages is limited - particularly because of how congested Zimbabwe's mobile phone networks are, and how many tries it can take to successfully send a message - all of this slows down Frontline. We've found that if the subscriber list is over 300, it becomes a bit more than Frontline can handle on our slow networks - the trying and multiple re-trying that it takes to get a message to send can really bog things down. Where a group wants to send to a list larger than a few hundred, we often recommend that in Zimbabwe they break this up into multiple address books - and stagger their mailings so that they are sending to smaller batches of numbers at a given time. If their subscriber list is in the several thousands or larger, they might want look for a web based commercial bulk SMS gateway, such as Clickatel. They could use this gateway to send messages, and still use Frontline with one of the modems and lines discussed above to receive responses.""
Our Tests
We tested the Mac version of FrontlineSMS, using a Motorola L6 phone to send and receive SMS. After one or two false starts (unable to install on another Mac, and unable to detect the phone on Ubuntu Linux), the installation of the working version was a simple process of copying some additional libraries into the Java environment. An automated installer would be comforting for users not familiar with the command line - this is only available in the Windows version of the software for now. The first step was to get the phone detected and configured. Having had problems on Ubuntu with the same phone, we approached with skepticism. In fact, auto detection worked flawlessly. If you have access to a phone that has been reported as working with Frontline, the likelihood of it being autodetected correctly puts you at an immediate advantage. We didn't need to play with the manual configuration settings, but they are easily accessible from the phones tab.
Once the phone was detected and configured (easy to tell, as it will move to the working phones list) we were ready to explore the rest of the application. The first tab, the FrontlineSMS 'home screen', provides easy access to regularly used functionality, including sending an SMS, and reviewing the most recent incoming and outgoing messages. This is obviously designed for regular users, and is a little confusing the first time you see it. Unfortunately, the Mac version has a slight display bug that prevents the send button from being visible, adding to the confusion about how to get started. A walk-through document for first time users would be helpful here. Although the existing documentation is both clear and thorough, it tends to explain concepts in terms of how to access them from the application rather than considering how various functions might form part of a work flow.
Having failed to send an SMS from the home screen, we decided to try the long way round - adding contacts on the contacts tab, organizing them into a group and sending a message to the group. The contacts tab makes it easy to add and organize contacts, although some of the steps required are a little counter-intuitive - drag and drop doesn't work between the contacts list and the groups list, for example, and the difference between deleting a contact entirely (for which there is a handy button) and removing a contact from a group (only accomplished by right-clicking the contact) isn't clear from the interface. First-time users may want to play around a bit before working with important data!
Fortunately, FrontlineSMS includes data export and import functionality, allowing the database of contacts, messages and keywords to be easily backed up or transferred. The application also supports importing a list of contacts from a text file in a predefined format, which could be used to speed up data capture and avoid re-entering contact lists already stored electronically.
To send the message, we initially tried the Messages tab. As it turns out, this tab is more for monitoring messages sent and received - it's easier to send messages to groups or individuals from the Contacts tab, before switching to the messages tab to check that the message has been sent. Once we got the hang of this, sending SMS was very easy, and the messages tab provided useful feedback of message status. This is important as it can sometimes take a while for the message to be sent (this should be faster on a GSM modem than on a phone), during which time you need to keep FrontlineSMS running.
A further option for users who require large-volume messaging and have access to the Internet is to use Clickatell to send SMS. Users still need to reply to a phone number, so this setup still requires a phone and modem, but may be significantly cheaper for bulk messaging. The Keywords tab allows users to configure an automatic reply message, which will be sent in response to SMS containing a predefined keyword. Automatic reply messages can be tracked through the messages tab. However, it is worth noting that automatic replies are only sent to messages received while FrontlineSMS is running - although a message received on the phone will be shown in the incoming messages tab, it will not get a retrospective auto-response.
Keywords can also be configured to add the sender to a group, or remove them from one. This effectively implements subscribe and unsubscribe options, although there is no way for users to remove their information from the database entirely.
What we thought
One thing that's certain with FrontlineSMS is that its reputation precedes it. The software has been around in various version since 2005, and we found that it is well known among groups working with developing world mobile applications.
Firstly, and most importantly for many users, FrontlineSMS provides a simple way to send and receive SMSs on a PC, with contact management and grouping ability for bulk messaging. Provided installation comes off without a hitch and you are using a supported phone, this should allow new users to get started quickly, after which they can explore some of the more advanced functionality.
While the user interface is occasionally confusing, the documentation clearly describes the role and function of each screen. There is also a supportive user community, and developers actively respond to user questions in the forum. This makes the software ideal for groups who are just beginning to explore the potential for using mobiles in their work.
FrontlineSMS is not a mass messaging system - as noted by Amanda Atwood of Kubatana.net, sending messages through a phone is slower than using a GSM modem, and even a modem struggles to send more than 300 messages. Similarly, the requirement that the software runs continuously for the keyword-based autoreply makes it unsuitable for a situation where a large volume of incoming messages are expected. Generally, FrontlineSMS is less suitable for organisations that are confident with running mobile campaigns, and want to run complicated keyword-based campaigns or reach large numbers of people.
What's next
More advanced functionality, currently being developed, will be available from the E-mails and Forms tabs in the near future. The ability to design forms for data collection is likely to be particularly interesting to organizations exploring alternatives to paper-based processes. Once designed, the completed form (effectively a Java programme) can be sent to a Java-enabled phone for use in the field. The data that is collected will be sent back to FrontlineSMS, where it can be displayed and exported as necessary.
While other systems provide similar functionality (RapidSMS allows users to define an input format for message parsing, and the OpenROSA consortium is developing various impementations of their mobile xforms standard), this should attract existing FrontlineSMS users and people wanting to try out cellphone-based data collection with a low barrier to entry.
FrontlineSMS founder Ken Banks hoped to have the Forms functionality completed by the end of October 2008. Along with the release of new functionality, 2009 should finally see the open source release of FrontlineSMS. This will please developers, who will now be able to get their hands on the code and make modifications.
One area that this could particularly benefit is the number of working phones, as there are likely to be many phones that 'almost work', and could be made usable with minor code tweaks. At the same time, the accumulated knowledge of phone hardware embodied in the phone auto-detection code is a valuable contribution to the open source community. (This review was conducted in October 2008)
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