AskMeNow inks Wikipedia mobile deal

Mobile search and information provider AskMeNow announced a preliminary agreement with new-media non-profit Wikimedia Foundation to develop a natural language desktop search and mobile search of user-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The beta site for desktop search will adhere to wiki sensibilities, enabling users to query, provide feedback, edit content and assist in the implementation of semantic search tools-pending the site's completion, AskMeNow and Wikimedia will launch a free Wikipedia mobile service allowing text-based questions and answers.

"AskMeNow is extremely excited about the opportunity to provide a unique service to one of the worlds most popular user generated sites," said AskMeNow CEO Darryl Cohen in a prepared statement. "We look forward to working side by side with the many volunteers that make Wikipedia one of the Internet's top ten sites. Together with the Wikimedia Foundation, we will establish new ways to interact with Wikipedia's content without jeopardizing the uniqueness that has made it so successful."

For more on the AskMeNow/Wikipedia agreement:
- read this release

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