Free Texting for Windows Phones

AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2012 - SXSW Interactive - textPlus, the leading provider of mobile social messaging, is bringing free texting to Windows Phones. Starting today, Windows Phone customers can get a first look at textPlus and download the beta version from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Upon sign up, Windows Phone users will get a free phone number to start texting their friends on textPlus at no cost worldwide and free to any US or Canadian mobile number.
textPlus is the most popular messaging app in the market with over 27 billion messages sent to date, and 3 billion messages sent last month alone. Unique features of textPlus for Windows Phone platform include:

• Live Tiles: Chat in real-time by pinning the app, important conversations (both 1:1 and group) and communities to your home screen so you never miss a conversation.
• Personalization: Love your theme color or an accent color on your phone? Just opt-in on textPlus to carry that theme color over and make the app all your own.
• Panorama: This unique view provides a visually striking and engaging dashboard that is easy to navigate and displays your conversations, friends and communities in one place.
• Available for Windows Phone 7.5, including Nokia phones and their new highly anticipated Lumia 900.

"textPlus is one of the most popular apps for Android and Apple phones and devices -- downloaded over 25 million times -- and we plan to replicate that success for Windows Phone," said Scott Lahman, Founder and CEO of textPlus. "We're betting on the Windows Phone platform for its differentiated user experience that has enabled us to build an absolutely gorgeous app that users will love."

"textPlus has taken their app to a new level by taking advantage of Windows Phone's unique features and design, and has built a truly compelling app that helps people have conversations like never before," said Todd Brix, Senior Director, Windows Phone Marketplace at Microsoft. "textPlus is a great example of the kind of rich applications that people will find on Windows Phone Marketplace to get the most out of their phone."

In addition to the unique features available for Windows Phone, textPlus offers the same experience users have come to expect on other platforms. This includes public and private communities covering millions of topics, as well as optional user profiles to search for friends and meet new people. textPlus is the only mobile texting app with social elements, resulting in a highly engaged user base that spends well over an hour a day in the app.

"We're pleased to partner with textPlus as we continue to expand the range of great mobile experiences available in Marketplace for people using Nokia Lumia smartphones," said Mark Fletcher, Senior Director of Partner Management at Nokia. "The combination of award-winning Nokia hardware, the Windows Phone Metro UI and textPlus' great service will no doubt prove hugely popular with consumers around the world."