iJustine got a tip from one of her admirers readers tipping her off on how to get Emoji icons on her iPhone without jailbreaking it.

Emoji, the Japanese name for tiny icons used in text messages and on websites, is currently only available on Japanese iPhones.  This was a huge bummer for lovers of all things cute when they realized the iPhone 2.2 firmware update wouldn't allow us non-Japanese iPhone owners to send cuddly animals via SMS.

Well now iPhone and iPod touch users can take part in Emoji goodness with a super-simple process.

UPDATE: The Frostyplace app Emoji hack was disabled after iPhone 2.2.1 was released. If you already have Emoji enabled on your iPhone before you updated, you should be fine. A new app, Typing Genius - Get Emoji (99¢)will now enable Emoji on your iPhone.

1. Download and install the app, Typing Genius - Get Emoji (99¢) from the iTunes app Store.  

1. Download and install the app, Frostyplace (99¢) from the iTunes App Store. 

2. Load the app and use it for a few minutes. Click on articles, refresh the RSS feed. We used it for about five minutes.

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2. Go into Settings> General>International >Keyboards>Japanese

3. You should see the Emoji feature ready to be turned on.

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4. You're ready to get your cute on. While sending a message tap on the globe icon to enter the wonderful world of Emoji.You can send Emoji messages to anyone with an iPhone, even if they haven't enabled the feature on their device. 

There is also a method that involves downloading a Vcard to your computer and typing the word Emoji in your messgae. It's free, but a bit of a pain. 

Before you get all excited and start sending bowls of rice and toilets to all your friends via SMS, a quick warning.  In our tests, SMS messages with Emoji icons in them will not be received by non-iPhones in US. If you type out a long message to your best friend about the best place to get a hot dog and add the hot dog Emoji icon to that message, your friend will never get the message unless they have an iPhone.

We repeat, messages with Emoji icons in them will not be received at all by non-iPhones. We tested this on a G1, Windows Mobile, and various Motorola and Samsung phones. None could receive a text message with an Emoji icon in it. We were unable to test  Emoji enabled phones from Japan. 

If anyone knows of another US based phone that accepts Emoji icons, drop that info in the comments below.