Smith Micro Software (http://animates.smithmicro.com) has unleashed its free AniMates mobile messaging app on iTunes, allowing iPhone users to express themselves with animated characters, colorful backgrounds and dynamic voice effects.

With AniMates, users can select from a wide variety of characters that will lip-synch to a voice message, and then share their messages with anyone via SMS, email or Facebook. Smith Micro unveiled AniMates for Android last month, and users on either platform can communicate app-to-app over any carrier network.

William W. Smith, Jr., CEO at Smith Micro, says AniMates offers a diverse content library offering dozens of characters and backgrounds, with new content added every week. You can use your own photo background from the phone gallery. There are otional voice effects with variable pitch control.

You can see and manage messages from other AniMates users through an inbox view. The app lets you share messages with anyone via email, SMS or Facebook.