T-Mobile Hungary allows payment for parking by SMS

I'm always pleased to see Hungary in the news and I'm always disappointed by the lack of text messaging in the US - we're a number of years behind Hungary and other Central European countries in that respect, largely because it is cheaper to place mobile phone calls in the US than in Europe.

Meanwhile, it appears that that one of the parking zone operators in Budapest has developed a system whereby people can simply text message in order to pay for their parking spots (here's the article). Instead of having to go to the ticket machines, a simple text message can not only put money in the meter for the spot but add more money to the meter while keeping track if time is running out.

Think about the convenience - hanging out at a cafe, no longer having to run to check the meter - simply texting the appropriate number and that's it. Reminds me of the Finns, who early on developed vending machines that allow you to pay and get your desired product by text messaging them. Those European sure like to type on cell phone key pads.