[ANN] BitTarget - send SMS using our REST API, pay in BTC

[BitTarget]

Hello, we are glad to announce BitTarget, our HTTP-to-SMS gateway.

https://bittarget.com/

The deal is simple. We have a ridiculously easy-to-use REST API, and you can use it to send SMS almost anywhere in the world.

It's a great way to:

- add two-factor authentication or a security fallback to your web app
- build that BTC price-watching service
- verify users without a credit card
- receive Nagios alerts
- reach your customers

Here are some examples of how to use our API - no external libraries necessary:

https://bittarget.com/examples

You can verify our deliverability with a free test message sent to yourself.

Feel free to contact us at support@bittarget.com .

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[danieldaniel]

You know you can do this for free, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SMS_gateways

[sega01]

This is pretty awesome. I wish I had a use case for it.

You know you can do this for free, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SMS_gateways

That's true, but you have to lookup the provider and have a different procedure for every one. Usually just a different email, but still. I think you can send a text message per US cent at these rates. That's cheap enough for me.

If you guys can integrate dedicated numbers and receiving SMS messages, I might switch from Google Voice to your service :-).

[BitTarget]

If you guys can integrate dedicated numbers and receiving SMS messages, I might switch from Google Voice to your service :-).

We're definitely going to add inbound SMS soon-ish and voice features later on.

Also, we're amazed at the response so far, particularly considering how niche and young this service is. A big thank you to the people who are already paying customers!

If anyone wants a few satoshi of free credits to play with the API, feel free to email us at support@bittarget.com. (Paying customers are also getting free credits, of course - no need to e-mail).

People who only want to check our deliverability can use the test page at https://www.bittarget.com/test

[BitTarget]

Also, to make things clear, danieldaniel, our service does not use free e-mail-to-SMS gateways and other end-user facing services. We use real SMS gateways provided by the telcos to their partners as a paid service, which are much more reliable.

[DBG]

Do you know if you'd be able to provide a short code(s)?  I don't know why but that was part of the requirements I was given for a 6-month business deal.  I had more or less settled on using Twilio (our reach is pretty small, basically all the major mobile providers in the US and possibly UK/France/Italy) but I'd love to support a Bitcoin-based business, even if the people paying for it don't realize it  .

[BitTarget]

We can could try to set that up manually, but I am not sure it would be quick or particularly cost-effective. Do you really need a dedicated short code?

Also, short codes don't work internationally, so a short code in the US would be unusable from the other countries you mention. It may be possible to source short codes from those countries however.

Feel free to mail the details to support@bittarget.com and we'll look into it. We can't promise anything at this point however.

[BitTarget]

We have a new batch of free SMS credits. Sign up and mail us and we'll give you some free credits to get started!

[BitTarget]

up

[marcus_of_augustus]

Is this service still functional?

The charging of the account seems broken ... >6 confirms and no credits ....

[BitTarget]

Hello, yes, the service is functional. We've had issues with Coinbase in the last few hours and had several payments show up in a weird state as though they were unpaid. It took us some time to sort things through and fix things manually. Things should be back to normal now.

We sent out several emails and all accounts should be fixed now. If somehow we missed you please get in touch through support@bittarget.com or via PM with your account email so we can check.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and we're sorry it took this long to handle this.

[marcus_of_augustus]

Okay, appears to be functional.
NB: there is an error in the example bash script on this page
https://bittarget.com/examples

Code:

$ diff sms_1.sh sms_2.sh 
6c6
< 	curl -v --get --data-urlencode "text=$2" "http://bittarget.com:3000/send?apikey=$BITTARGET_APIKEY&to=$1"
---
> 	curl -v --get --data-urlencode "text=$2" "https://bittarget.com/send?apikey=$BITTARGET_APIKEY&to=$1"

i.e. http needs to be https and port 3000 removed

Otherwise a v.v. interesting service .... hoping to see some good mobile and web apps built on top of this quite quickly.

Edit: do you have a thread in the "Project Development" section? ... should be if not.

Edit1: also any update on ETA for receiving SMS and/or dedicated numbers?

[BitTarget]

Thanks a lot, I fixed the gist on Github!

There are a few Bitcoin-related services out there that are using our services for two-factor authentication and BTC/USD price alerts already. We'll ask them about adding their names to our web page soon. One of them was Bitmit, which unfortunately shut down recently.

We're already providing dedicated numbers and incoming SMS service but didn't announce it publicly since it's beta-ish and requires manual setup. If you are interested let me know what your needs are and we may be able to help depending on where in the world the number should be. The way it works currently is that we'll ping a remote HTTP service when there is an incoming message, like a reverse version of our API.

[BitTarget]

Bump.

[UberNifty]

Still giving away free SMS credits to new sign-ups on request?

[BitTarget]

Yes, always. Just email us once you have created your account.

[BitTarget]

Bump.

[CathIlbreyf]

Service work?
Some times ago sent btc to account, but balance not change, email support not answer.

[BitTarget]

Yes it does! We are not aware of any unreplied support emails - can you send again or post your account info in a PM here?

[CathIlbreyf]

Yes it does! We are not aware of any unreplied support emails - can you send again or post your account info in a PM here?

Wrote yesterday pm and e-mail, but again there is no answer

[BitTarget]

I'm sorry that it took a bit to verify this. I have added the credits to your account. Please verify that it's ok now and sorry for the inconvenience.

Also, I can confirm that I didn't receive any email from you.

[CathIlbreyf]

Everything is fine, thank you. Maybe mail in spam? Sent from 2 different boxes.

[Hyena]

I cannot credit my account, it says: This button could not be generated. Help