Virtual business cards have been around for awhile.   iPhone apps may be paving the way (an idea we discussed in It’s all in the reflexes), but how do you exchange information with someone who doesn’t have the same phone as you?

BeamME might have the answer.   This iPhone app lets you “beam” a virtual business card – and more – to any SMS or email-enabled device.  This includes Blackberry, Palm, and Android phones, as well as Mac and PC computers. Instead of reinventing the wheel (or the platform), beamME takes advantage of the popular vCard format.  This means you can sync beamME cards with your existing address book and CRM software.

BeamME comes loaded with features too.  You can create more than one vCard and even exchange other people’s vCards.  If you’ve ever had to pass along a vendor’s information or recommend a colleague, you can imagine how handy this would be.   You can also tag your contacts with the iPhone’s built-in geo-locator.  Can’t remember where you met someone?  Want to make the most of a sales trip by hitting all the leads in a certain area?  BeamME tells you when, where, and how you met someone and creates a contact map for you.

BeamME may be a front-runner in the virtual business card app market.  We’re not the betting type, but where others are limited or exclusive in nature, BeamME is universal.  The only drawback is the subscription fee.  The app, itself, costs $1.99 to download, but you have to pay $4.99/month ($29.99/year) for beamME support and services.