Wired's How-To Wiki points out that amidst all the hoopla about the iPhone's new applications, perhaps the simplest of them—the AOL Instant Messenger app—unlocks a cool feature, albeit one we've known about generally for some time now. By entering a full phone number (with a +1 for U.S. or another country code first) to your buddy list, you can send out standard text messages from an iPhone or iPod touch. It's a nifty way to avoid overusing your SMS allotment, although it counts on the recipients' phone, of course. Of course, you could always send an email as SMS directly or try out a service like Teleflip if you don't find AIM more convenient.