GroupMe is a group texting and conference call application available for iOS and Android devices that recently entered into an open beta for BlackBerry. It’s like a private chat room over SMS, or reply-all text messaging. GroupMe enables you to organize and communicate with groups of people right on your device. Even people without a smartphone can participate by creating their groups online.

GroupMe has pretty straightforward directions for getting set up and forming your groups, and walks you through each step. Each group is given a unique phone number. When you send a text message to a it, the message is sent instantly to everyone in the group. When you call the number, it automatically dials all the group members for a conference call. You can save the number assigned to your groups in your Contacts for repeated use. You can also create groups that are short-term, which can be set up to expire automatically after a set amount of time. You can even send pictures to your groups.

GroupMe seems like a pretty cool application if you have a group or groups of people that you send SMS messages to frequently, or if you have a need for an easy way to set up call conferencing. The UI is simple and user-friendly, and you will be on your way to group texting in no time. While GroupMe is free to install and doesn't cost anything to use, it does use minutes and SMS from your mobile plan, so you will likely want to be sure you and anyone you add to your groups has unlimited texting, otherwise I can see this burning through their allotted monthly amount in no time. In order to be eligible for the beta your BlackBerry must be running OS 5.0 and higher, and you have to be in the US. Hit the links below if you're interested in downloading, and check out some screenshots after the break.

For full details and to download the GroupMe beta for your BlackBerry
To download GroupMe from BlackBerry App World
To discuss the GroupMe beta in the forums