MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Mar 30, 2005--CONK!, a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based web services company since 1996, announced today the launch of CONK! Network, the first network of local online communities designed primarily for mobile phone access, in 22 major US markets, with an anticipated 100 city portals by year`s end.
Each market`s mobile version includes capsulated, hourly-updated news in over 60 categories, local weather, classified ad listings utilizing ''click-to-dial'' links, ''click-to-dial'' business listings, mobile-enabled community discussions and more.
''This is the first web service in the U.S. with an interface designed specifically for cell phone usage,'' said James Touchi-Peters, CONK! CEO. ''To date, the mobile Web has been viewed as a failure in the wireless industry. Our contention is that the public has not been interested because no one has built anything compelling enough for people to want to use. With the CONK! Network, we have addressed every perceived failure of the medium.''
The CONK! Network has been designed specifically from the ground up for access primarily from mobile phones. Each local CONK! Network community is free to access for the end-user. Local classified ads are placed and managed from a self-serve desktop Web interface and can be viewed on that city`s local portal from virtually any modern web-enabled mobile phone. The ad poster determines whether response to the ad is by phone, e-mail or both. The distinctive ''click-to-dial'' feature enables the ad reader to place a voice call to the ad poster
by simply clicking on a link on the screen; this function works universally on all wireless application protocol (WAP)-enabled cell phones (virtually all cell phones in the market). ''The click-to-dial functionality makes the mobile Web the perfect classified ad medium,'' Touchi-Peters said. Classified ads on CONK! cost only one dollar per month, with an optional photo included at no extra charge.
The CONK! Local Links business listings are ranked within categories by a patent-pending, Pay-Per-Dial(TM) keyword auction process. Businesses bid for categories and keywords from a self-serve desktop Web interface for a specific market; the advertiser`s hierarchical listing in the mobile display is determined by the amount they bid. The user simply scrolls to the desired business listing and clicks to dial directly through to that business, with the business being charged per click-through and not for the listing itself. ''We believe that our Web-based system is significantly more elegant and easier to use than various systems currently powered by SMS (Short Message Service),'' said Touchi-Peters. Pay-Per-Dial keyword bidding starts at ten cents per click-through, with a minimum five-dollar deposit to open an account.
To use the CONK! Network go to https://conk.net on either your web-enabled mobile phone or desktop computer. As an introductory offer, classified ad listings are free in all local communities through April 15, 2005.
About CONK!
CONK! was started in 1996 by symphony conductor and computer hobbyist James Touchi-Peters, and has since become an industry leader in creating mobile and multimedia technologies for consumer Web services, television broadcasters and businesses. In March 2005 CONK! launched the CONK! Network, the first online service in the U.S. designed specifically for access from Web-enabled mobile phones. Learn more about CONK! at their company website at https://conk.net/about.
EDITOR: To view a list of the 22 charter CONK! Network cities go to https://conk.net/locations.htm.
To obtain lo-res and hi-res photos, logo, and corporate bio visit our pressroom at https://conk.net/press.
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