How Texting Saves Lives

The 2012 mHealth Summit near Washington, D.C., is where mobile technology and health come together. This week's 20th anniversary of the text message really highlights the critical marriage between the two sectors. The first message was sent through the Vodafone network, and Nokia's phones really helped texting take off.

But as so often happens in technology, these two companies were outmaneuvered and lost their early advantages. Apple and Android devices rule the technological roost these days, while Facebook and other social networks are also chipping away at SMS communication.

However, the ubiquitous text message is still important. The summit featured experts from UNICEF, Johnson & Johnson , and Verizon discussing how texting continues to save lives. See more in the video below.

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The article How Texting Saves Lives originally appeared on Fool.com.

Rex Moore owns shares of Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Facebook, and Johnson & Johnson and has the following options: long JAN 2014 $20.00 calls on Facebook. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Apple, Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, and Vodafone Group. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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