New Texting Tool for the iPhone
Posted on 14 November 2009, at 4:43 am, by Douglas Moran
Bored with using the regular texting tool on the iPhone? GOGII believes they have the answer with their 2.0 version textPlus iPhone application. According to the GOGII folks, “textPlus offers free, unlimited app-to-app texting and already has millions of users – including a huge teen fan base.” (I’m not a teen, but maybe you are. Or have one at home–I sure do.) GOGII just released their 2.0 version, after their original version was downloaded 2.5 million times.
textPlus sells for a miserly $0.00 at the iTunes store, and doesn’t charge usage fees. I think I’ll download it and let my kids give it a full run-through. I mean, after all, what do I have to lose?
Full press release after the jump.
On the heels of its tremendous debut in June, GOGII, Inc. launches textPlus 2.0, a new version of the next generation text messaging application
for iPhone and iPod touch. Now with usernames that serve as “text addresses”, textPlus 2.0 enables app-to-app free, unlimited texting anywhere in the world. And in the U.S., friends on any text-enabled phone can now easily send messages to textPlus users by simply texting their username to 60611, the textPlus permanent short code.“Until now, popular mobile messaging apps have limited users to just a small subset of their social network by requiring both sides to use the same mobile device or app to communicate,” said Scott Lahman, CEO and co-founder of GOGII (whose textPlus 2.0 username is ‘lama’). “With textPlus 2.0, consumers now have a viable ‘open-texting’ app solution, making it easier than ever to communicate with friends, no matter what device they use or where they are in the world.”
textPlus usernames allow anyone to contact an app-user via text
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.
App-to-app, free, unlimited texting, anywhere in the world
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.
Additional new features of textPlus 2.0 include: shake to update messages, more sounds for Push Notifications, and user pages that offer texters an alternative starting point for conversations.
Like all previous textPlus versions, textPlus 2.0 is free to download and use and offers unlimited and group text messaging for iPhone and iPod touch users. textPlus is the only texting app to bring “reply-all” group messaging to text. With “reply-all” texting, textPlus makes it easy to have group text
chats, organize plans with several friends at the same time, introduce people
to each other or just carry on a group conversation – all in text, for
free. Messages sent via textPlus on the iPhone or iPod touch are unlimited and free to the user, with messaging costs sponsored by GOGII and advertisers.Since its launch on June 1, 2009, textPlus has become one of the most popular text messaging applications for iPhone and iPod touch. 8 million users have experienced messages sent or received from the application. In the U.S., over 235 million text messages have been sent using textPlus and currently, on average, over 2 million text messages are sent using the application each day. Since launch, the amount of total minutes used with textPlus is over 735 million – equivalent to almost 1,400 years of use. While only the top 5% of applications in the Apple App Store reach 100,000 unique monthly visitors, textPlus exceeded that mark by over 7 times in its second month of release and has continued to grow both its app and non-app user base.
Availability
The textPlus application is available for free, on a worldwide basis, from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. When using the app, standard text message rates apply only when using certain optional SMS notifications.
About textPlus
textPlus leverages GOGII’s innovative messaging platform to bring real text to the iPod touch and free group texting to the iPod touch and the iPhone. textPlus enables seamless interaction between textPlus users and their friends using regular text messaging (SMS).
About GOGII (go-jee)
GOGII develops applications that make text messaging better, more useful, and more fun. Text messaging has replaced voice as the communications mode of choice on mobile phones, and GOGII aims to deliver more features and functionality to consumers through this ubiquitous data platform. Likewise, businesses and brands are now able to reach customers in real time through GOGII’s platform.
GOGII is backed by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and is part of their iFund, which is exclusively focused on developing applications for Apple’s products. GOGII was founded in 2008 by the three founders of JAMDAT Mobile, the leading mobile entertainment publisher that was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2006.
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November 14th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Here’s my problem with these apps.
There are too many of them already.
We’ve got “Ping”, “Whats App” and now this one.
The beauty of Blackberry Messenger, which in essence is what these applications are trying to be, is that it uses a PIN that’s unique to each individuals device. So if you have the app you’re in.
The problem with these iPhone apps is that every one of your contacts has to be using the same one for it to be useful. If I’m using Ping but Judie’s using GOGII we can’t communicate with each other. Basically I have to have three different iPhone to iPhone apps installed on my device to make sure I’m available to all my friends. Either that or I convince everyone to pick one.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Could not agree more. I’ve been trying to streamline the number of services I use. It just becomes too much work to keep track of, let alone check, them all.
I would love one app which, like the BB puts all my email and chat together in one integrated place. Now that would be an awesome feature for the next iPhone OS.