I find SMS text messaging on my cell phone to be cumbersome. This method allows me to text message someone’s cell phone via iChat. To send SMS text messages through iChat, simply Select File: New Chat with Person… from the iChat menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Cmd+N.

Enter +1 and the person’s cell phone number in the window that appears.
+1 is the country code for the cell phone I am sending a text message to. +1 is USA’s country code. Does this work in other countries? Please leave comments.

An iChat window opens with the person’s phone number at the top. Now I can send SMS messages like I am chatting for free!

Thanks Max OS X Tips for this awesome trick.