Electronic device with message handling functions

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a radio circuit that establishes wireless communications over a connection that supports short message service (SMS) messaging and a connection that supports instant message (IM) messaging; and

a control circuit that executes a messaging client such that the electronic device is configured to:

(a) receive user entry of a message and a command to send the message;

(b) determine that IM messaging is not available at a time that the command to send the message is received;

(c) in response to the command to send the message and the determination that IM messaging is not available, determine whether IM messaging becomes available within a prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received;

(d) when IM messaging does not become available within the prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received, transmit the message by SMS messaging;

(e) when IM messaging becomes available within the prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received, transmit the message by IM messaging.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein if IM messaging is available in (b), the electronic device is configured to transmit the message by IM messaging.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the connection that supports SMS messaging is a cellular circuit-switched network connection with a subscriber network.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the connection that supports IM messaging is one of a cellular packet-switched network connection with a subscriber network or a packet switched data connection to the Internet apart from the subscriber network.

5. A method of handling messages in an electronic device that has a radio circuit that establishes wireless communications over a connection that supports short message service (SMS) messaging and a connection that supports instant message (IM) messaging, comprising:

(a) receiving user entry of a message and a command to send the message;

(b) determining that IM messaging is not available at a time that the command to send the message is received;

(c) in response to the command to send the message and the determination that IM messaging is not available, determine whether IM messaging becomes available within a prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received;

(d) when IM messaging does not become available within the prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received, transmitting the message by SMS messaging in response to user input to send the message by SMS messaging in (c); and

(e) when IM messaging becomes available within the prescribed time period following the time that the command to send the message is received, transmitting the message by IM messaging.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein if IM messaging is available in (b), transmitting the message by IM messaging.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the connection that supports SMS messaging is a cellular circuit-switched network connection with a subscriber network.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the connection that supports IM messaging is one of a cellular packet-switched network connection with a subscriber network or a packet switched data connection to the Internet apart from the subscriber network.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a radio circuit over which messages for a message destination electronic device are transmitted by one of short message service (SMS) messaging or instant message (IM) messaging; and

a control circuit that executes a messaging client such that the electronic device is configured to:

(a) determine that a chat associated with the message destination electronic device has been opened;

(b) determine whether the message destination electronic device currently has message receipt capability over IM messaging; and

(c) display, on a display of the electronic device, a chat screen containing a message log of messages exchanged with the message destination electronic device and a message composition field for a next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device, wherein:

if in (b), the message destination electronic device currently has message receipt capability over IM messaging, indicate to a user of the electronic device that the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by IM messaging; and

if in (b), the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, determine whether the message destination electronic device obtains message receipt capability over IM messaging within a certain amount of time and indicate to the user of the electronic device that:

the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by SMS messaging when the message destination electronic device does not obtain message receipt capability over IM messaging within a certain amount of time; and

the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by IM messaging when the message destination electronic device obtains message receipt capability over IM messaging within the certain amount of time.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein (b) includes communicating with a message service server to determine the availability of the message destination electronic device to receive messages over IM messaging.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the message destination electronic device has message receipt capability over IM messaging if the message destination electronic device has an active session with an IM messaging service of the message service server.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein if the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, the communication from the electronic device triggers the message service server to send a wake-up message to the message destination electronic device to wake-up an IM messaging component of a messaging client of the message destination electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein if the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, the electronic device further configured to provoke a message service server to send a wake-up message to the message destination electronic device to wake-up an IM messaging component of a messaging client of the message destination electronic device.

14. A method of handling messages in an electronic device that has a radio circuit over which messages for a message destination electronic device are transmitted by one of short message service (SMS) messaging or instant message (IM) messaging, comprising:

(a) determining that a chat associated with the message destination electronic device has been opened;

(b) determining whether the message destination electronic device currently has message receipt capability over IM messaging;

(c) displaying, on a display of the electronic device, a chat screen containing a message log of messages exchanged with the message destination electronic device and a message composition field for a next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device, wherein:

if in (b), the message destination electronic device currently has message receipt capability over IM messaging, indicating to a user of the electronic device that the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by IM messaging; and

if in (b), the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, determining whether the message destination electronic device obtains message receipt capability over IM messaging within a certain amount of time and indicating to the user of the electronic device that:

the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by SMS messaging when the message destination electronic device does not obtain message receipt capability over IM messaging within a certain amount of time; and

the next message outgoing to the message destination electronic device will be sent to the message destination electronic device by IM messaging when the message destination electronic device obtains message receipt capability over IM messaging within the certain amount of time.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein (b) includes communicating with a message service server to determine the availability of the message destination electronic device to receive messages over IM messaging.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the message destination electronic device has message receipt capability over IM messaging if the message destination electronic device has an active session with an IM messaging service of the message service server.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein if the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, the communication from the electronic device triggers the message service server to send a wake-up message to the message destination electronic device to wake-up an IM messaging component of a messaging client of the message destination electronic device.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein if the message destination electronic device does not currently have message receipt capability over IM messaging, the electronic device provoking a message service server to send a wake-up message to the message destination electronic device to wake-up an IM messaging component of a messaging client of the message destination electronic device.