Now Start Ups Are in a Rush to Bring the Chat Room to the Smartphone

For all the clever things smartphones can do these days  like stream movies and play 3D games the latest mobile craze centers on revamping one of the earliest phone applications, the text message.

Apps from a wave of new start-ups allow multiple people to participate in the same conversation on a mobile phone, like a group chat room or conference call held by way of text message. The new applications, most of which are free, include
Several of these services have made their debuts just this week, right before the opening on Friday of  
Caleb Elston, one of the founders of Yobongo, which is based in San Francisco, said the timing of the app’s release, a week before South by Southwest, was "no accident"
Read more...GroupMe, FastSociety,  Beluga, Kik,  TextPlus, PingChat,  HurricaneParty and Yobongo.South by Southwest, the technology and music festival in Austin, Tex. They hope to gain some attention at the festival, which attracts scores of technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists interested in seeing the latest innovative ideas.