Dictionary.com Introduces First-Ever Free Dictionary & Thesaurus Application for BlackBerry Smartphones

Survey Reveals More than Half of People Believe a Good Vocabulary is Crucial to Career Success; Availability of App Expands Dictionary.com's Addressable Market to 65% of U.S. Smartphone Users

PRNewswire
OAKLAND, Calif.

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Dictionary.com, the leading online dictionary and a service of Ask.com, an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI), today announced the availability of its pocket English dictionary and thesaurus application for BlackBerry® smartphones, expanding Dictionary.com's addressable market to a potential 65 percent of U.S. smartphone users*. The free app, which optimizes the Dictionary.com experience for BlackBerry smartphones, is available now on BlackBerry App World™ (www.blackberry.com/appworld) and on the Dictionary.com mobile website at http://m.dictionary.com. A link to the app can be immediately delivered to a user's BlackBerry smartphone by texting BBAPP to 44636.

The Dictionary.com application is the only free dictionary and thesaurus app currently available for BlackBerry smartphones. In addition to providing users with more than 500,000 words, definitions and synonyms, the app features audio pronunciations, spelling suggestions and Dictionary.com's popular Word of the Day for both English and Spanish. The new app also allows users to instantly access a definition or synonym while reading or drafting an email, a feature unique to the Dictionary.com experience on BlackBerry smartphones.

Several of the features included in the Dictionary.com app were designed to meet the specific professional needs of BlackBerry smartphone users, helping them get essential information on the go. The relevance of the application is underscored by a recent study that revealed 54 percent of people believe a person's vocabulary is crucial to being successful in business. Not to mention, a mastery of language can have after-hours benefits. More than 12 percent of those surveyed said they find a person with an extensive vocabulary sexy.

"The popularity and value of Dictionary.com is about much more than being a source for word definitions. Millions rely on Dictionary.com every day to help them communicate smarter and more effectively in business, in school and in their social lives," said Doug Leeds, President of Dictionary.com and Chief Operating Officer of Ask.com. "Dictionary.com on BlackBerry smartphones seamlessly integrates the leading resource for people who want to communicate more efficiently with the smartphone platform many of these people use."

The Dictionary.com Application for BlackBerry follows up on the success of Dictionary.com for iPhone™ and iPod touch®. Recognized by US News & World Report as the #1 iPhone app for college students, the Dictionary.com for iPhone app has been downloaded more than three million times since launching in April 2009.

Designed specifically for the BlackBerry smartphone user, the Dictionary.com application features include:

• Dictionary.com - Access the most comprehensive, up-to-date dictionary available online with more than 325,000 word definitions and spelling suggestions
• Thesaurus.com - Search the award-winning online version of Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus with more than 275,000 synonyms
• Phonetic & Audio Pronunciations - Hear pronunciations of words with a simple press of the audio button
• Dictionary.com Word of the Day in English and Spanish - Learn a new word every day with definitions and real examples from published writings through this popular Dictionary.com feature that is enjoyed by millions each day
• Recent History - View an editable list of recently searched words
• Social Networking Function - Email or SMS text any word and its definition to yourself or others right from the app
• Email Integration - Exclusive to this app on BlackBerry smartphones, users can instantly access a synonym or definition while reading or drafting an email
  

The Dictionary.com application is available for the BlackBerry® Pearl™, BlackBerry® Curve™ and BlackBerry® 8800 series of smartphones, as well as the BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Tour™ smartphones. Users whose BlackBerry Smartphone is not yet supported can access Dictionary.com through their mobile browser at http://m.dictionary.com.

To learn more about the app or to view a complete list of supported models, go to www.dictionary.com/apps/BlackBerry.

*Source: m:metrics, three months ending August 2009 (42% RIM, 23% Apple)

About Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com is a leading provider of language reference products and services on the Internet and an affiliate of Ask.com, a leading search engine website, both of which are wholly-owned subsidiaries of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI). Dictionary.com, LLC includes Dictionary.com, the Dictionary.com Word of the Day, Thesaurus.com and Reference.com, and serves an average of 43 million unique worldwide users per month (source: 2009 Quantcast data).

About the Survey

The Dictionary.com Vocabulary Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between March 26th and March 30th, 2009 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over. In this particular study, the chances are 95 out of 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

Apple and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc.

SOURCE Dictionary.com

SOURCE: Dictionary.com

Web site: http://www.Dictionary.com/