The new Anttenna application for Apple’s iPhone has reconceived the classified listings space, innovating the Craigslist model by taking elements from Twitter and foursquare.

Just as Twitter evolved blogging into microblogging, Anttenna delivers a real-time, location-aware and mobile consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer “microlistings” marketplace for the buying, selling and bartering of goods and services. Anttenna’s microlisting service launched in San Diego earlier this year, and the company launched nationally on May 10.

“Anttenna is a mobile microlistings app that shows users offers from vendors and businesses based on location and price that are time-based, as well as a c-to-c exchange platform, in the context of an event-based commerce application with more of a social twist,” said Marcus Wandell, cofounder/CEO of Anttenna, Seattle.

“We’re evolving this into a more ubiquitous classifieds service for today’s smartphone user,” he said. “It’s strictly a utility—rather than to connect with people or make friends, it’s to connect with folks based on mutual interests.”

Anttenna is a free mobile application available in the App Store that facilitates real-time, location-based, person-to-person exchanges.

Additional versions for BlackBerry, Android and Palm handhelds will be released later this year.

By turning traditional classified listings into geo-tagged Twitter-sized microlistings, Anttenna lets people connect in real time with people nearby using their handhelds.

In less than sixty seconds, potential buyers can search the Anttenna marketplace and find what they are looking for, nearby wherever they are.

This could be securing a concert ticket on location at a music festival, helping a lost pet find her way home, locating a yard sale nearby, or finding a free sofa that is in need of a home right down the block.

Mobile trailblazer
Anttenna is divided into various categories, including a marketplace section, buy/sell, coupons/deals, clothing/accessories, tickets, VIP and nonprofits.

Mr. Wandell believes that Anttenna is addressing a clear need that is vastly underserved in the mobile space.

As people go about their day-to-day business, they are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones instead of their PCs.

None of the traditional classified listings players has invested in leveraging the smartphone platforms or new communications standards to their fullest extent, according to Anttenna.

Taking advantage of the Twitter platform, Anttenna enables instantaneous user-to-user communication that is familiar and consistent with the emerging “tweet” communication standard.

Leveraging Twitter’s platform, Anttenna give users the ability to instantaneously communicate with each other by “Anttweeting” without having to share personal information such as their phone number or email address.

Integrating the Anttenna application into the Twitter ecosystem allows for text-message-like communication.

Mobile community
Mr. Wandell said that the notion of community is central to the Anttenna platform. As a location-based service, Anttenna becomes part of the fabric of the communities it serves.

Anttenna also provides tools and services geared towards nonprofits and volunteer-based community service providers.

As part of its San Diego launch, the company is partnering with a number of organizations for specific projects, including San Diego State University’s Associated Students, student leaders, the Greek system and the non-profits Rock ‘n Renew and Stay Classy.

Anttenna is working with these groups to build a native plant and rain garden watershed restoration, and to host a silent auction benefiting the Campaign for Abandoned Youth.

Anttenna’s Community section features categories ranging from Couchsurf and Carpool to Borrow/Lend and Volunteer, letting users connect with one another, find resources and spread awareness of efforts across the broader community.

Both nonprofit and for-profit companies can take advantage of Anttenna’s platform.

“Initially most b-to-c application partners would be mom-and-pop shops and local power-sellers,” Mr. Wandell said. “We’re using location not so much as a feature but building a business around it.

“We see the commercial elements really taking off once it becomes a mainstream utility at events, large gatherings of people, say, an open-air market with vendors listing deals and tagging their location so they’re embedded on the map,” he said. “It provides people with legends for any type of venue.

“It’s almost like an enhanced mall directory on everyone’s device—it’s like a swap meet in your pocket.”