Ninty nine cents doesn't buy you much these days. Some fast food places still offer a burger, chicken or drink item for that price. Dollar Stores offer some really good bargains but they're going to charge you an extra penny for them as well as sales tax. But when it comes to technology, 99 cents has some serious buying power. Take iTunes for example. While you can pay more or even less for some types of songs, the 99 cent tune is still the most popular. 99 cents will also buy you some really great apps for your iPhone and iPod Touch. There's also another valuable commodity that technology makes available to you for 99 cents: information.
So there you are at the moment and for whatever reason, you find yourself needing an answer to a question. So where do you go or what do you do? You could go online and do a Google search for starters. But depending on the question, that may or may not be easily found. And what if you need the answer right away, or worse yet, you need an answer and you're nowhere near a computer? Well if you have a cell phone that can text, there's no need to panic. The answer is right there in the palm of your hand and it will only cost you 99 cents to get it.
KGB is a very cool service that's in the business of supplying information and in this case, that information is the answers to your questions. The asking and delivery method is really quite simple. Using the texting ability of any cell phone, you just type in your question and send it to kgbkgb, which numerically is 542542. In just a few short moments, the answer to your question will be delivered and you'll be charged 99 cents for the service.
KGB is staffed by KGB "agents" located at the company as well as work at home "Special Agents" located across the country. If you're looking to pick up some extra cash by supplying answers to people, check out the KGB website and take their Special Agents Challenge. It's a 15 minute test to see how knowledgeable you already are. And if you are good enough, you may be invited to become a paid Special Agent.
Agents have access to KGB's rather extensive knowledge database and supply the answers. Most answers are supplied in a few moments but can take up to several minutes if the answer requires more research. Regardless of how long it takes or complex the effort may be to get the answer, the charge remains 99 cents. That's what KGB charges. Depending on the plan you have with your cell phone provider, additional texting charges may apply.
So now if you need to know who starred in a particular movie, how to make the perfect martini, or how many standard paper clips it would take to circumnavigate the globe, now you can find out just by texting your question to kgbkgb. There's no category to pick and nothing to look up. The sky really is the limit according to KGB. If the answer is out there, KGB says they can find it and deliver the answer to you fast.
They say having the right information at the right time can be absolutely priceless. It seems now that technology and KGB together have set a price on the priceless and it's just 99 cents. What a deal.
On the Net: kgb.com
Craig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology.
(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
