• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, July 1, 2011

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz recently revealed that more than 3 million people had paid for java or other products using the Starbucks Card Mobile application. With the  release of a new iPhone app, the coffee chain is hoping to attract even more users by adding new options including the ability to send a mobile gift.

The Starbucks for iPhone app also combines features from the existing Card Mobile and myStarbucks apps. Customers can use it for payment, to keep track of rewards, find nearby Starbucks locations and check card balances, among other things.

The new eGift feature allows users to send virtual Starbucks gift cards via email or Facebook for any amount between $5 and $100 that can be redeemed at any of its stores. Previously, there was no mobile version of the eGift card.

Customers had asked the company to combine separate functions in the two apps into a single one. (The myStarbucks card has been phased out, but the Starbucks Card Mobile will continue to be available in the App Store.) ""We're inspired by our customers and their feedback on MyStarbucksIdea.com which led us to develop the new Starbucks for iPhone App," stated Adam Brotman, vice president, general manager, digital ventures at Starbucks. 

In a keynote at the OMMA Mobile conference in June, Brotman said the digital sphere represents a "fourth place" for Starbucks, playing on the company's original mission to serve as a third place for consumers to spend time outside home and work. While offering few new details about customers' mobile behavior, he said mobile is a growing part of Starbucks' planning around advertising and promotions. 

The company in recent months has also launched a Starbucks app for Android phones and an expanded mobile payment service at Safeway stores.