Texperts
 | |
| Company type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 2003 as Re5ult Ltd |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
| Services | SMS question-and-answer |
| Owner | Knowledge Generation Bureau |
| Website | KGBAnswers.co.uk |
Texperts was a UK-based SMS question-and-answer service. In December 2008, Texperts was bought by the United States–based Knowledge Generation Bureau, operator of the 118 118 services, a directory services company which had also entered the SMS question-and-answer market. The service was later renamed Kgb Answers and is now defunct.
History
[edit]Re5ult Ltd was launched initially with a subscription-based service called 'Re5ult' on a normal mobile number. However, in August 2004 the service was launched on a premium text code and rebranded as 82ASK. In 2007, Re5ult switched phone numbers and brands again, relaunching the service as Texperts on short code 66000.
Performance
[edit]Posing the question "How many people [are] alive compared with all who had ever lived?", a Guardian journalist testing the service received an answer within five minutes, with the closest rival answering it in 22 minutes. A similar question asked for "a hotel in Ireland within half an hour of Rosslare en route to Westmeath" which received an answer within 15 minutes; a rival service answered a few minutes sooner and also provided prices which Texperts's response lacked.[1]
Publications
[edit]In 2006, Texperts released the book Do Sheep Shrink in the Rain?, subtitled "Over 500 of the most outrageous questions ever asked", published by Virgin Books. The 256-page paperback is a compilation of questions received and answered by the service.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Keegan, Victor (September 7, 2006). "The answer is just a text message away". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018.
- ^ 82ASK (2006). Do Sheep Shrink in the Rain? Over 500 of the most outrageous questions ever asked. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0753511794. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- Companies based in Cambridge
- Technology companies established in 2003
- SMS-based question answering services
- 2008 mergers and acquisitions
- 2003 establishments in England
- Technology companies disestablished in 2009
- 2009 disestablishments in England
- British companies established in 2003
- British companies disestablished in 2009