<p>Last week text messaging celebrated its 20th anniversary. It was on December 3, 1992 that British engineer Neil Papworth said "Merry Christmas" to a Vodaphone employee via SMS (short message service).</p><p>Now, "texting" is the preferred method of communications for a great many people, especially teens who, according to Pew Research Center, prefer text messaging to all other forms of communications</p><p>But recent data suggest that text messaging may have peaked. In Sweden, where text messaging has long been popular among adults as well as teens, the number of messages has declined during the first half of 2012 from 9.2 billion to 8.1 billion. There are similar declines in the United States and the United Kingdom.</p><p>In its place, people are using alternative messaging systems, including services like Kik and Whatsapp that use the Internet instead of the carriers' SMS systems. With these services, users avoid having to pay carrier text messaging fees and have a wider choice of devices, including tablets, the iPod touch and -- in some cases -- PCs. Google's (GOOG) free Google Voice service allows you to send and receive text messages via the Web or through a smartphone app using your phone's data plan instead of via the SMS system.</p><p><a href="http://www.siliconvalley.com/larry-magid/ci_22132315/magid-new-messaging-systems-offer-cheap-communication.html">Keep reading...</a></p>