[ by Melanie Gretchen ] Saving money could come down to a smattering of texts - or in the case of Frank Radice, the former president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and now a media consultant, more than $1,000 in texting charges on a monthly mobile phone bill 2 years ago.  Mr. Radice, 62, found a solution in apps. New Day. Though a text message may cost carriers less than a penny between cell phones, they charge customers up to 20¢ to send a text and another 20¢ to receive one, toward an estimated $20 billion a year in revenue for the wireless industry.  Recent apps, however, allow users to text free, via cellphones’ data streams. "Traditional texts are sent over a defined protocol, like their own channel, that is different from the voice and data channels," said Michael O’Brien, senior vice president for marketing solutions at Syniverse Technologies, a company in Tampa, Fla., that develops products and services for the wireless industry. There's no shortage of market for texters like Mr. Radice.  Among perpetually emerging development, users can text from their laptop computers, iPod Touches, and iPads; text internationally; and send free texts via messaging apps like iMessage, Skype IM, Kik, Google Talk, Facebook Messenger, and GroupMe.  Mr. Radice isn't the majority audience - that would be teens and preteens - but it doesn't make the apps' impact any less. "Once you try them, you’ll never go back to regular texting." For further details, go to [NYTimes, 11/2/11].