T9 was quite well used throughout the world during that era. Predictive spelling originated with Nokia. Just a few quick taps could spell out an entire sentence

T9 was quite well used throughout the world during that era. Predictive spelling originated with Nokia. Just a few quick taps could spell out an entire sentence. It was less well used in the US where you were charged a relatively exorbitant rate for sending and receiving texts. $.05/SMS + $.25/MMS