Twitter's Biz Stone hints Jelly app will be for doing good

Though still shrouded in mystery, the app will be free and targeted at mobile devices

Some of the details surrounding Biz Stone's new Jelly app have just been firmed up: Apparently it will help people "do good."

"People are basically good -- when provided a tool that helps them do good in the world, they prove it," the Twitter co-founder wrote Monday in a post on the Jelly Industries homepage.

So far it has been unclear just what, exactly, Jelly is. The app started attracting attention in the tech world last week amid reports that Stone was working on a new startup.

Monday's post leaves many questions unanswered, but it appears that the app may have some sort of socially redeeming quality.

The name Jelly was inspired by jellyfish, "because neurologically, its brain is more 'we' than 'me,'" Stone wrote.

"Jelly will be for everybody," he wrote. It also will be free and available first and foremost on mobile devices, and it will command Stone's "full attention aside from some advisory roles elsewhere."

Stone first left Twitter along with fellow co-founder Ev Williams to create Obvious, an incubator and investment company focused on a variety of projects including the Medium blogging platform and the Lift mobile app for achieving personal goals.

Apparently, Jelly won't be launching anytime soon. "News of Jelly emerged unexpectedly early, so I'll wait a bit to share more about the team," Stone wrote.

Industry analysts declined to speculate on what Jelly might actually be.

Like Twitter, Jelly will be based in San Francisco. The company, which is hiring, will be self-funded for the time being, Stone wrote. "Jelly is in no rush to be a big company any time soon," he wrote.

Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com

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