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Software

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

By Larry Dignan June 5, 2007, 6:40 AM PDT

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ask1.png
ask1.png
Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Ask's nifty new features

Ask's nifty new features

Ask.com rolled out a revamp of its search engine with a few key features. “Skins” that can customize the search page, recommendations and new ways to relate results. The big question is whether Ask.com can steal some share from Google. To find out Larry Dignan embarked on a search engine world tour and swore off Google for a few weeks. Ask was the first stop in trying to picture life without Google.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Looking for Ben Bernacke

Looking for Ben Bernacke

When searching for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernacke’s latest speech I typed in “bernanke federal reserve statement” into Ask.
I didn’t quite get what I was looking for–ideally the latest text or news story

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Saving a nice touch

Saving a nice touch

The capability to save the Web page in a search is a nice touch.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Do we care about content types?

Do we care about content types?

One of the big issues with Ask is that it seems a bit too religious when classifying content types. For instance, I’d rather have an integrated view from the beginning. To find Bernanke’s speech I tabbed to news. Even then I didn’t see the result I was looking for until the fourth result.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Less specific is more

Less specific is more

Oddly enough making the search broader got me news results I was looking for. Pane on the left is a nice touch for background.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Directory Assistance Please

Directory Assistance Please

Now this is annoying. With Google I had gotten in the habit of using it like a phone book. Here I’m just trying to find my eye doctor. No luck.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Suggestion desk

Suggestion desk

Here I’m looking for Macbook images and get a few suggestions.

Images: Can Ask.com replace Google?

Worth keeping

Worth keeping

Moving up to the whole Web and Ask gives you more suggestions. The search recommendations expand the universe and will probably surface a few things you’ll click on–even if you weren’t looking.

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By Larry Dignan
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief at Celonis. He was most recently Vice President, Editorial and Editor in Chief at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and
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