AskMeNow has signed a letter of intent to acquire Italy’s Expert Systems, a company specialized in natural language query technology, after the two companies partnered last November to develop a next-gen mobile Q-and-A service that would be able to access all the data on the Internet via natural language queries rather than key word search…the terms were not disclosed. AskMeNow expects the tie-up to let them target enterprise customers as well as sharpen its focus on content providers, and claimed several “hot content partners” are in the pipeline. “Mobile search should be free and ad-supported, but to get there you need volume,” said AskMeNow CEO Darryl Cohen, although the company charges Alltel customers $3.99 per month for the service, and Canadian customers 25 Canadian cents a question. As well as volume to provide a free service AskMeNow claims its ads are very effective, with the “suggested links” included at the bottom of the SMS response to a query getting a 30-40 percent click-through rate.

—Content: To create an even larger customer base and inventory AskMeNow will launch its own branded content offer, although didn’t give a timeline. It is also set to sign up with a content partner Cohen described as the “next Martha Stewart” for travel and lifestyle content. On the heels of today’s NHL announcement, Cohen said agreements with other sports teams are in the pipeline. He also wants add social networking. Details were thin, but Cohen hinted that natural language search would allow more information to be exchanged—and this could be tapped to provide the basis for social networks.