There are so many more advantages to Google Voice as opposed to the regular SMS.
1) You can list your Google Voice number on websites and screen the heck out of your calls when they call in through GV (I have my GV number on Facebook, among other places - go ahead, call me - see if I answer! Send me SMS spam - see if I care!)
2) GV can handle your VMs too - even from calls made to your direct cell line.
3) GV automatically splits long messages into multiple SMS (from the website I can send 3 SMS lengths (roughly just under 500 7-bit chars) in a single SMS before it starts asking me "Really??"
4) In GV, you can mass SMS everyone on your contacts about hte new number - you don't ahve to do it from your phone.
5) GV uses the same Google contacts as your phone, and will allow you ot send SMS to people by their name just like your phone.
6) As mentioned above, you can do it from any browser - as long as you have Internet access.
It really is worth your time - it will take some time to get it all set up - but once it is, no more of the following:
1) Having to pay for unlimited SMS on your contract (or your folks having to pay for your unlimited SMS)
2) Having to worry about your Service provider deleting VMs that you have saved every 2 weeks to clear space
3) A lot less issues with memory usage on early-model Android phones
4) Ability to search all your SMS any time, anywhere.
I still pay $5 / month for 250 SMS - b/c GV doesn't do MMS *yet*. Plus, I have a few friends who simply do not pay attention and send me texts at the old number, and one friend who likes to send pics.
Other than that, though, all my SMS traffic goes through my GV number.
Oh, every Google Account you have can also have a GV number - even GAFYD can. I have 2 regular Google accounts and 2 GAFYD (about to set up number 3 domain as well) - I have 3 GV numbers so far - 2 for my regular accounts and one for my original domain.
You can't shake a stick at that.
