Brightkite launches free group text service and starts Check.in beta

The team at Brightkite is not content to linger in the shadows of super-trendy location-based checkin services Foursquare and Gowalla. They've burst back onto the scene in the past month with some killer new features, including a free group-text service and the beta launch of their multi-service checkin app, Check.in.

We've covered Check.in before, so all we have to say here is that you should head over to the site and sign up for beta invitation. Brightkite Group Text is all-new, though, and it looks awesome.

You know how email has a "reply all" feature? This is "reply all" for SMS. When someone replies, everyone else on the thread sees it. Group Text works from any phone, but there's also a shiny iPhone app for keeping track of your group text threads in a more visually appealing way. Friends don't have to sign up for Brightkite for Group Text to work, you can send messages to any phone number (it even works internationally!). It's also magically free.

Tags: brightkite, check.in, free, group text, GroupText, sms, text