Get More From Your Cell Phone With Hassle-Free PC

09.12.2008
Send Driving Directions to Your Phone

Want to save a little printer ink and paper? The next time you look up driving directions on MapQuest or Windows Live Search Maps, don't print a hard copy to take along in the car. Instead, send those directions via SMS to your cell phone. (And by the way, SMS is terrifically handy. In "" I've got several other great things you can do with your cell phone and a few choice Web services.)

In MapQuest, input your start and end points like usual and then click Get Directions. Next, click the Send To button and choose Send to Cell. Enter your phone number and other requested details, then click Send. Within a minute, you'll receive a text message (possibly multiple messages, depending on the length of the directions) with the turn-by-turn details and a link to a map.

In Live Search Maps, the process is virtually identical: After getting your directions, click the Send to link and choose Mobile.

Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn't have a send-to-cell option for driving directions-only for business listings. So if you're interested in saving a bit of paper, you'll have to use one of the other two services. Neither one charges anything to send directions via SMS, but standard carrier rates apply.

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