Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Get Smart by Texting w/ @Text_Engine | iPads, MakerEd and More  in Education | Scoop.it
Text Engine was developed to offer cell phone users a means to search the web using their text messaging service. This is great news for educators and students in low-income and rural communities.  

And that's a good thing, because while smartphones are popular, there is still a great need for text-only services in low-income and rural districts. There is also a need in districts like NYC that empower students to bring their own devices to school, but don't have the means to enable students to connect to the internet.