Japan: text, not voice, serves as communication lifeline in quake aftermath

CNET reports on how the people of Japan are coping with overloaded (and carrier-restricted) cellphone networks, after today's catastrophic quake: they're turning to text messaging, and "social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi." The carriers are "limiting voice calls on congested networks, with NTT DoCoMo restricting up to 80 percent of voice calls, especially in Tokyo and in northeast Japan, where 30-foot tsunami waves caused extensive damage." Anecdotal tweets describe people lining up to use payphones in Japan, with some people not knowing how they work.