Today, Ask.com revealed its new mobile app, Pollroll, combining the instant gratification of a poll with the answer depth and social context of a Q&A service. The app, which allows users to send polls to friends and those nearby, is available in Apple’s iTunes store in advance of SXSW 2012.

“Polling is one of the most engaging and straightforward Q&A formats on the Web – in fact, users in the Ask.com Q&A community continue to leverage the service as a polling mechanism,” said Doug Leeds, CEO, Ask.com. “SXSW is the perfect testing ground for us to play with mobile polling functionality, including filters like social connections and location, ultimately shaping how these features are integrated across both our flagship mobile app and site.”

Pollroll is a lightweight app designed to facilitate the creation, distribution and sharing of poll questions and results. For example, SXSW attendees can use Pollroll to discover the best BBQ, the hottest party or the most engaging panel to attend while at the event.

Pollroll features include:

Visual polling: Snap a picture and create a poll, or use the in-app image search to make a poll come alive.

Response filters: View responses from anyone, just your friends or those in a specific location.

Get context: Access comments to understand why respondents voted the way they did.

Discover and share: Browse, engage with and share more than 1,000 high quality, editorially curated polls. You can also browse user polls based on recency, popularity, location or social connections.