IRVINE, Calif.—Mobile information service provider AskMeNow announced plans to acquire Israel-based IntelliGate Ltd., a specialist in information retrieval and natural language search technology.
AskMeNow, a subsidiary of Ocean West Holding Corp., said the acquisition will allow it to offer mobile phone users automated search technology based on true natural language. Customers might ask a question like, “What city will host the next Olympic Games?” and would receive an answer without links, said the company. AskMeNow said it believes it can compete with Internet crossovers to the mobile search space like Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
“AskMeNow will make it easy to receive real answers from the Internet for the first time without navigating the arcane language of databases,” said IntelliGate founder, Ofer Lavi. “Mobile users will no longer be restricted to memorizing search phrases or complicated menus or having to navigate through slow WAP browser connections to access information on-the-go. Instead, you can ask even the most complicated questions in your own words to receive the exact information you want.”
AskMeNow said it expects the acquisition to close within 45 days. The company earlier this month announced its first carrier launch, making its AskMeNow and AskMeAnything services available through Rogers Wireless in Canada. The company also made a mobile gambling play earlier this year when it announced plans to acquire Australian betting firm Karrell Pty Ltd.
