I’ll admit. I’m a huge fan of textPlus by GOGII. It allows me to send texts to multiple users, groups and best of all… it’s free. textPlus just got better.

Texting has become a sight to behold. After reaching over 8 million downloads for its popular free group texting application textPlus, GOGII unveils today textPlus 4 Pics Edition, a visually rich social mobile application that uses the power of pictures to take texting to a fun, social level. Free to download and use, textPlus 4 Pics Edition is available on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

textPlus 4’s unique picture capabilities turn iDevice text exchanges into powerful photographic conversations. Here’s how:

• Picture Communities: It’s show and tell for texting – a group of users texting in one Community chatroom can easily send and receive pictures to illustrate their live discussions.
• “Face Text:” Eye-roll, giggle, growl or grimace. Texters get emotive by using iPhone 4’s front-facing camera to snap and post their own real-time facial expressions; make a face, click the button, 3, 2, 1 – it posts instantly into the conversation flow. It’s like texting from a photo booth.
• Real picture messaging: The #1 most-requested feature from textPlus users, picture messaging lets users send, receive and save photos in one-to-one, private, community and even app-to-SMS conversations – all for free.

Yep… you can finally send and receive photos from people within the textPlus groups or your Apple iPhone contact list… for free. Look for a review in a bit.

[ Links: textPlus 4.0 ]

One of my favorite ways to save money by texting between folks in my contact list on the Apple iPhone was just announced for the Google Android platform.

GOGII, Inc. announces today the launch of textPlus, its popular next generation texting application, on the Android Market. Previously available only on the Apple App Store, the unique textPlus app now brings sponsor-supported free and unlimited messaging to Android users and allows them to have instant group “conversations” in text with friends on most U.S. carriers.

“We’ve already seen overwhelming consumer response to the textPlus app in the Apple App Store thanks to the millions of consumers who’ve embraced our game-changing features – from casual texters to the staggering number of consumers who text as their primary mode of communication,” said Scott Lahman, CEO and co-founder of GOGII. “We’re pleased to make textPlus available to Android users, and offer even more text-happy mobile consumers this tricked-out, next generation texting service.”

By leveraging GOGII’s interactive messaging technology, textPlus allows both old-style texting – one-to-one conversations – and next generation texting – rich, engaging environments and instant group text conversations. A useful ‘reply-all’ feature, similar to email, turns texting into a chatroom that lets users make plans with several friends at once, introduce people to one another or just carry on a group conversation – all in text and all for free.

Additional features make it easy for Android texters to make textPlus their preferred SMS service, including the international ability to send free messages from abroad to friends in the U.S. using a U.S. 10-digit phone number and free Notifications when messages come into the app, even when closed. What’s more, textPlus lets Android users communicate with friends who aren’t using the app – they simply pay for texts through their existing carrier plan.

GOGII expects the textPlus Android app to be met with the same degree of consumer fervor on the Android Market that it has on the Apple App Store. To date, the textPlus app has already seen almost 3.5 million downloads, and over 350 million messages have been sent using the service since June. And while only the top 5% of applications in the Apple App Store reach 100,000 unique monthly visitors, textPlus exceeded that by over 7 times in its second month of release.

This truly makes my excuse to not go look at the Google Nexus One Phone that much harder. textPlus for the Android platform is to be released very soon now.

Hey GOGII, a Nokia N900 version soon perhaps? Please? Thanks Beth for the tip!

[ Links: GOGII, textPlus ] [ Related: Apple iPhone textPlus 2.1 Update ]

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still stuck on the anemic AT&T SMS package of 200 text messages and find yourself over each and every month. It’s not that I’m cheap, but that overage per month adds up over time and I’ve wanted a good, reliable way to send messages to people and do it for free. Some methods of sending “free SMS” via the web can’t be replied to by the person you’ve sent a message or they might not know that it is indeed you that’s doing the sending.

GOGII, Inc. [ site here ] has recently updated their textPlus Apple iPhone application to version 2.0 and added the ability for people to simply respond to your free username via textPlus 2.0 and you’ll receive the message whether you’re in the app or via the Apple iPhone 3.0 enabled push notifications when you’re not in the app.

textPlus 2.0’s highly anticipated usernames give non-app users in the U.S. the ability to start text conversations with their friends using textPlus. All they need to do is text a friend’s username to 60611, and the conversation begins. In fact, with usernames, textPlus users no longer even need a phone number to send or receive texts from inside the U.S.

New to users outside the U.S., textPlus 2.0 offers a convenient, cost effective alternative to international texting. Because textPlus 2.0 usernames are accessible worldwide, textPlus users who have registered a username can send and receive text messages for free to and from other textPlus users, anywhere. So, a textPlus user on a WiFi network located in the United Kingdom can now engage in a username-to-username text conversation with another textPlus user in the United States, Japan, France or anywhere else in the world, for free.

Not only is this a way for me to save money per month on my constant SMS overages, but my friends – one or groups of more than one – overseas or on other cellphone networks can easily contact me for free directly as well. This is definitely a new model for texting.

There are a few, unobtrusive ads that are included in the app, and normally I avoid ad supported apps. But they’re seriously not in the way… and besides, the app works great and is free, but textPlus 2.0 is definitely worth a download for your Apple iPhone. Setup to get my account up and running and my phone number verified took less than 2 minutes. All for free.

[ GOGII ] [ textPlus ] [ Related: Apple iPhone 3GS ]