Textfree Unlimited started something on the iPhone, offering free texting to users. But it was limited because the only way to receive messages was through email and only in response to a message that the user sent. So it really wasn't all that great of an option. But now that 3.0 is out, TextFree is back in the game and is looking to solve the expensive problem of texting once and for all. Now TextFree gives users an account that can be texted to. Signing up for the account is as simple as choosing a username.
Once all set, a sent text will come from that username and received texts will be replied to that username.
But that's not the exciting part. Now with Apples new push notifications, users will receive replies wherever they are, just like a real SMS. This means you can hold a conversation and be notified on your phone even if you aren't in the app. This is an excellent solution to those who don't want to be bogged down by texting fees. The only real catches are that friends and family will have to send texts to your textfree account and not your mobile number and the app costs some money. But this really is nothing compared to the price you'd be paying per month for texting.
Even if you are not sure whether you want to buy it, there is a free version in the app store that will allow up to 15 texts per day will all the same great features. So if you are sick of paying texting fees or just want a cheap way to text occasionally, check out TextFree.