While the current lightness and versatility of the j2me app is satisfactory, there still seems to be one Achilles's heel that spoils the deal for the rest. User registration has the greatest friction, and considering its position in the use-hierarchy of the app, has the potential for massive drop-off.
Best possible solution for tackling this problem has been detailed by Chinedu here http://sayaj2me.blogspot.com/2013/07/real-world-testing.html?showComment=1374598239927#c8073988122514701011
This leaves the problem of how to send international SMSes which usually attract ridiculous charges, especially in the developing world(politically correct term :) . So far in my research, the solution lies in creating a much more complex registration infrastructure but I believe the dividends will pay off.
This involves the 'buying' of local numbers and hosting them on a central internet-available server. Therefore, the app will only send to that user's local number hence charging him a local rate for text(acceptable). The hosted number calls the Saya server with requisite parameters and the registration cycle kicks off.
Currently, number hosting will cost around $100 per number per month. We can start by leveraging on the countries with the most potential users and build out from there.
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