iConji offers icon-based Messaging Without Translation

iConji is a fun, new way to communicate with friends across town or around the world using a vocabulary of pictographs whose meanings are translated into several languages. An iConji character is an image within a 32x32 pixel square which holds a single meaning, such as "sports car" or a dual meaning such as "food" plus "to eat." Each character carries the author's name, a brief story of its creation, and user generated data such as location and notes, and if desired, designation as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

iConji was initially conceived by Kai Staats and Dan Burcaw, co-founders of Terra Soft Solutions, former developer of Yellow Dog Linux, as a means by which messaging could offer more rich, engaging communications in a world where nearly two-thirds of the population of the planet now have access to, or own mobile phones. Current trends predict that these nearly four billion phones will be replaced with models offering interactive screens and always-on connectivity.

The iConji vocabulary launches with 1185 characters, each translated into English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese, with Turkish and Swahili in progress.

iConji is immediately available from the Apple iTunes store for Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad; and as a free Facebook and web browser application.