Easy way for distant non-vocal communication while away from a computer?

Question

My close friend is unable to speak and I was wondering if there is any alternatives to getting her a cell phone and just having her use SMS on it. I was planning on getting her one, but feels like a waste of call minutes if its only going to be used for SMS. So I was wondering if there is any other type of handheld device with a full keyboard that would let me communicate with her.

Answer 1

Pocket PC. It's a cell phone, but you can get it without cell phone minutes. And it can go on the Internet and SMS or use MSN Messenger.