SMS is pretty much ubiquitous in Europe, Asia and Australia. Why hasn't it caught on yet in the US?

LONDON, England (CNN) -- It is great for organizing meetings, to tell someone a piece of information and even voting for your favorite "Big Brother" housemate.

Now, text messaging is increasingly being used by UK hospitals to remind patients about outpatient appointments -- and could potentially save the National Health Service millions of pounds every year.

Hospitals embrace SMS technology