Looking for recommendations: sending SMSs from linux

[Yedidyah Bar-David]

Hi all,

I am looking for recommendations for hardware to send SMSs from a linux
server and connected through its USB port. It's important that it'll be
stable and robust. I'd also like it to:
1. be easy to buy in Israel and get warranty/support
2. have good support in both the kernel and relevant user-mode tools
3. be able to manage from remote, especially reboot if it's stuck
4. be fast
5. not be expensive

Relevant options I thought about:
* a cellular modem plus gammu
* a "normal" cellular phone and gammu
* an android cellular phone and adb and/or some relevant application

I currently have a very old Nokia 3100 and a USB-serial converter.
Some notes as to how does it pass my criteria above, and related stuff:
1. The phone was then easy to buy, the converter a bit less so - the
official Nokia CA-42 did not work, but this nameless clone did.
2. The converter did not have very good support in old kernels but is
ok with recent ones. gammu works well.
3. The nokia is not easily managable from remote. In certain occasions I
had to go there and reboot and/or disconnect/reconnect it. If I connect
it without a battery and to a remote power device, I can reboot it, but
it does not come up without pressing its "on" button. I did not check how
do other phones do in this regard. Rebooting the entire server is an
option, but I'd rather not if possible.
4. gammu is slow - sending an SMS takes around 10 seconds. I also tried
gammu with the modem built into a recent Thinkpad (which gammu identifies
as 'F5521gw') and it also took around 9 seconds. I have a feeling that
most of this time is gammu sleeping "to be on the safe side", but did
not look at the source or try to make it sleep less.
5. prices are not very relevant to current hardware, but it would be
nice if it didn't cost more than what they did then. E.g. buying the
newest/strongest android phone is certainly not preferable, but a
cheap ~500 NIS one might do better than the ceapest ~200 NIS modem if
people have better experience with it.

Opinions, ideas, and especially recommendations based on real experience
are very welcome.

Thanks,
-- 
Didi