New Guinness World Record Set for the Fastest Text Messager
FRESNO, MODESTO– November 16, 2006 – Cricket Communications Inc., a leading provider of unlimited wireless services, announced today that Ben Cook’s Guinness World Record for the fastest text messager of 42.22 seconds made in Denver, Colorado in July of this year has been beaten. According to Singapore Communications, Inc. sixteen-year-old Ang Chuang Yang typed the SMS (short message service) message in 41.52 seconds, less than one second faster than Ben Cook and just one week prior to Cricket’s Beat Ben Text Messaging Contest qualifying rounds!
Ben Cook, an 18-year-old from Provo, Utah, will still participate in Cricket’s Beat Ben Contest finals for the fastest text messager. Qualifying rounds will be held this Saturday, November 18, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the King's Canyon Cricket store. The top five finalists with the fastest fingers will compete against Ben and fourteen other finalists in December to attempt a new Guinness World Record.
In addition, the finalists will attempt to be Central Valley’s fastest text messager.
The finalists will win a free Cricket phone and 3 months of Cricket service. The Central Valley fastest text messager at the finals will win $1,000 and 12-months free Cricket® unlimited wireless phone service and attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.
In order to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest text message finalists will have to type the Guinness authorized 160-character passage in the finals round: “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.” on their wireless phone faster than 41.52 seconds.
Two Cricket judges, both with accurate stopwatches, will monitor finals contestants. To have a qualifying time, competitors will have to type the paragraph the fastest, with no extra spaces and no spelling errors. Finalists will be able to use their own wireless phone, but the “short text” and other timesaving features on the cell phone will be disabled.
“We are delighted to host Cricket’s Central Valley Beat Ben Contest,” said Jason Biado area general manager for Fresno and Modesto. “We’ve planned an exciting and fun winter event and hope to have a new Guinness World Record! Text messaging is becoming one of the most popular ways to communicate and with Cricket you get unlimited text messaging included in your monthly access.”
Ben Cook, an 18-year-old Cricket customer from Provo, Utah, has set the Guinness World Record twice, once in 2004 and again this year. He’s appeared on many radio and TV talk shows including the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and participated in many contests and demonstrations. Ben Cook will be at the finals to try and set a new world record.
About Cricket®
Cricket is a simple, affordable mobile phone service offering customers and local businesses flat-rate, unlimited service over a high-quality, all-digital wireless network. Designed for customers under-served by traditional communications companies, Cricket is the pioneer of unlimited minutes with no long-term commitments or credit checks required. Cricket offers customers access to a variety of the latest handsets and feature-rich mobile applications such as unlimited text, instant and picture messaging, popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. For more information on Cricket visit www.mycricket.com. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information on Leap, visit www.leapwireless.com.
