If you’re not a fan of Google Voice but would like to send and receive text messages (SMS) on your desktop then DeskSMS by Koush (of ROM Manager fame) will let you manage them from Gmail, GTalk, a speedy web interface, and even a Chrome extension. All without porting your number to another service.

Most impressive about DeskSMS is that it lets you choose how you want to handle text messages on your computer. Any time a text is received by Android it will automatically forward the text to any of the following services:

• Gmail
• Google Chat
• DeskSMS Chrome extension

So if you constantly have Gmail open you can allow DeskSMS to forward it to your inbox and respond from there, or if you’re a heavy IM user and are always connected to your GTalk IM account you can respond from there and when you reply back, the recipient gets a text from your number. To the recipient it will seem as though you’d responded directly from your phone (a la Google Voice style).

Alternatively, you can just view them from the web interface on any computer, or a browser extension that puts the slick web interface in Chrome or Firefox’s toolbar.

Installation is simple:

Step 1) Install DeskSMS on your phone
Step 2) Install a chat client or use Gmail on your desktop PC (or tablet like a XOOM)
Step 3) Have a friend send you an SMS, and respond from your desktop PC or tablet!

DeskSMS is a free for Android, and has both Chrome and Firefox extensions as well as a web interface. Yes this is still designated as beta, but this is Koush, famous for Clockworkmod… you can head over to the Clockworkmod Facebook page if you have issues.

DeskSMS for Android

DeskSMS for Google Chrome or DeskSMS for Firefox

DeskSMS Web Interface