• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 25, 2007

A new site called Text4Deaf has launched with the aim of making communication via computers and mobile devices easier for deaf people and their hearing acquaintances.

The Web-based service allows users to send messages back and forth between mobile devices, including phones, PDAs and desktop computers, addressed to individuals and groups.

Beyond the usual complement of text-messaging features, Text4Deaf's added functions include mobile group chat (with all responses going to everyone in the group), group broadcast messages (with all responses going to the original sender), text reminders for daily tasks and schedule reminders for important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.

Although the program is not currently ad-supported, a spokesperson for the company said that if it proves popular, a free ad-supported version is a possibility.

Text4Deaf also offers a free voice mail greeting, which lets callers know the subscriber prefers to receive text messages instead of phone calls.

The service is divided into two tiers: a free, basic text-messaging service and a premium service that is currently subscription-supported. The free service gives users 10 texts per month, and the unlimited service costs $2.95 per month or $19.95 for a year's subscription.