The folks over at DCist.com, a website completely dedicated to the daily and nightly activities that take place in our nations capitol, just launched a BETA SMS service called LastCall which allows users to tap into many different aspects of DC life while on the go. Using your cell phone you can tap into DC Metro schedules, OpenTable reservations, concert listings via Here#039s a Hint, movie showtimes and weather.

The service got its name because it is the last source of information you need to consult during your night on the town.

All a DCer has to do is send a text to 202-299-7949 or save that number in their contact as Lastcall. After that its all just text and send and get the info you want. Its free (with standard service charges applying of course) and seems relatively easy to use.

For example, to see if your favorite restaurant can accommodate your party of 5 at 7 oclock using the OpenTable all you need to do is send "ot dupont 5 700p" to the number above.

But here is the best thing about the service. It is entirely home brew. The platform is unique in that it acts as its own SMS gateway provider. They essentially, as Tom Lee who put the project together as an extracurricular activity to his day job at EchoDitto put it, "rolled their own" using nothing more than a Linux Machine, an unlimited SMS plan, some open source software and a cracked-screen cell phone that Tom bought for $1.50 on Ebay.

Now, Tom fully admits that this is not an "enterprise solution" as he sites that throughput - particularly for outgoing messages - is poor. But he also points out that for now, it is more than adequete for their needs. Obviously, the entire home brew system will meet a quick and timely death once traffic increases, nevertheless, it does not take away from what these guys have done for the little guy wanted to get involved in the mobile media space in some small way.

As Tom put it "Short codes are of course not an option. And I have received dire warnings from SMS gateway vendors that T-Mobile will put an ancient gypsy curse on me if they find out (although the T-Mo reps I have talked to have not yet said anything negative). But the setup seems quite stable, and for $50 in parts (excluding a Linux server I already had) and the $30/month SMS plan, it may be an attractive option for light-duty SMS projects that are working on a tight budget."

I think that T-Mobile only cares, as was proven with Txtmob during the RNC, about over-abusive use of SMTP gateways (in which you use the email address of every telephone number to sent text messages). As a colleague of mine pointed out "as long as traffic is light, you just look like a very text happy teenager to the carrier. However, I bet that as soon as a carrier thinks that you are something other than a teenager, you are going to get a call - especially if the service is advertised or if you are making $ from it..."

Nevertheless, this could be huge for small groups such as activists and non-profits, baking clubs or bowling teams that wish to harness the mobile medium in some small way.

Tom is not the first person to do this however. For a similar type application that you can run off your desktop (and is especially made for non-profits in developing countries) check out Ken Banks from Kiwanja.net#039s FrontlineSMS system which I first wrote about here.

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