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 (VOD -0.34%) network, and Nokia's (NOK -0.81%) phones really helped texting take off.
But as so often happens in technology, these two companies were outmaneuvered and lost their early advantages. Apple (AAPL 1.27%) and Android devices rule the technological roost these days, while Facebook (META -0.52%) 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 (JNJ -0.69%), and Verizon discussing how texting continues to save lives. See more in the video below.
