Brightkite Brings Together Location Sharing and Group Texting

Over the weekend, location-based service Brightkite added a slew of new features to its mobile apps, including upgrades to its Android and iPhone features. One of the most exciting is the ability to send group texts via the iPhone application.

Now, iPhone-enabled Brightkite users can send group messages to both Brightkite connections and address book contacts. They can also share their locations and photos in a group. In addition to group texting, Brightkite's iPhone app can also now remember a user's place in the stream when he or she is navigating through posts. The app has improved message counters and an in-app browser as well.

A cool upgrade for Android users is the ability to get really granular with off-Brightkite post sharing. This split-sharing function lets users decide whether a piece of data gets shared on Facebook, Twitter or both networks on a post-by-post basis. And of course, bug fixes and minor tweaks were part of the Android upgrade, as well.

Coming up soon for Brightkite is an all-new app for Nokia devices and new web interface features. We also hear the company is getting ready for some brand integrations.

We can't wait for group texting to come to Android and post-by-post sharing choices to come to iPhone. What do you think of these upgrades? Will these options make communicating with your friends and sharing your adventures any simpler?