Texting stems from a decades-old technology that with relatively modest investments let users swap brief bits of text (under 160 characters apiece) over carriers' voice networks.
The system is also made future proof by a patent-pending capability to swap out the wireless card should hardware technology change or if the user chooses a different network infrastructure in the future.
While Yahoo has for years been grappling to remain relevant with fast-moving consumer tastes, who knows if the swap-out will lead to a better awareness of how its users interact with technology, not to mention more motivated staff.