Is email the new texting?

I don't think so, but that's what my 17-year-old niece said to me today.
She was ogling my Blackberry and said that a few of her friends had them.  When I asked why she'd want a Blackberry, when other devices were better for texting, she replied "email is the new texting" and that her friends were adopting email now.
Is this a return to the long form of writing?

One data point doesn't suggest a trend, but I thought it was an odd comment coming from a digital native.