i have this super manual:
http://www.arib.or.jp/IMT-2000/V710Dec08/5_Appendix/R99/27/27005-320.pdf
i dont understand whether it is for every phone or just a certain subset
i would like to know what i need to get started to have my computer speak to the phone
i am ready to write in c#, c++, or what ever they need
has anyone had experience writing AT commands?
basically you need a cable, and most often you talk to it through a serial port
which is basically what something like http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=06a4f997-7f69-4891-8929-37b9041924a2&displaylang=en does
To answer the first question: this is a formal GSM standard. It might not apply to every phone. Cheap phones simply don't have an external connector that would support such a connection. However, those who do will likely support these commands.
The standard basically assumes a serial link. For GSM phones connected to a PC, this is typically implemented on top op Bluetooth or USB. Both show up as regular serial ports in Windows, and you can use almost any programming language to connect to them. You might even get away with using a simple terminal emulator, and manually entering AT commands to see if your phone reacts to them.