Archive for the ‘Search Engines’ Category

Posted on December 29, 2008 - by Luis Sandoval

Cuil, The Search Engine That Couldn’t…Search

I don’t know where to begin with this one. It was not that long ago, earlier this year, when Cuil was touted as the Google killer. This search engine was to massacre all known search engines known to man, a powerhouse of innovation and usability. There was a lot of hype, some amazing PR, and the world anticipated this amazing release. Sure many of us had out doubts, Google was just so dominant, how could this awkwardly named search engine be anything better. Then again, Google was an odd word some years ago prior to it making its debut.

So just happend with Cuil, and where is it today? Well aside from the fact that the search engine was a miserable failure. Aside from the fact that the search engine was actually crashing sites. And aside from the fact that there were entire sites, highly trafficked sites, that just did not make the listings. Cuil really tried to succeed, but alas, it was a marketing disaster, a sinking ship, a search engine site that just could not search.

The backlash was expected and even became the root of several jokes in the tech community. I personally remember looking for stories on Cuil so that I could laugh. Critics did not hold back anything with their analysis of the search engine, and almost immediately the wind left its sails.

Today those using Cuil are very very very few and far between. With the number of users practically hitting rock bottom, I almost wonder who is actually using this search engine for anything other than research. I’m convinced that only people using Cuil for research on how not to build a search engine are the numbers that are being recorded. I can’t imagine anyone seriously using it for any practical purposes. Perhaps the developers left their computers on a an infinite search loop to give it some traction, but I doubt it.

Alas Cuil, as we wrap up 2008, you will not be missed, but gosh you provided us with laughs. Thank-you!

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Posted on December 22, 2008 - by Steven Finch

Google Gulp: The New Google Energy and Intelligence Drink

Sometime I wonder what Google isnt going to do next. This time I have found a link to a new Google product that I thought simply couldnt be real, Google Gulp.

“Pleased to announce Google Gulp (BETA)™ with Auto-Drink™ (LIMITED RELEASE), a line of “smart drinks” designed to maximize your surfing efficiency by making you more intelligent, and less thirsty.

Think a DNA scanner embedded in the lip of your bottle reading all 3 gigabytes of your base pair genetic data in a fraction of a second, fine-tuning your individual hormonal cocktail in real time using our patented Auto-Drink™ technology, and slamming a truckload of electrolytic neurotransmitter smart-drug stimulants past the blood-brain barrier to achieve maximum optimization of your soon-to-be-grateful cerebral cortex. Plus, it’s low in carbs! And with flavors ranging from Beta Carroty to Glutamate Grape, you’ll never run out of ways to quench your thirst for knowledge.”

Is it just me or is this a little weird!!

Posted on December 9, 2008 - by Luis Sandoval

Zemanta Launches Public API

Zemanta has long been a favorite addition to my blogging processes. This interesting little addition to the browser builds in the ability include photos, links, and tags for all of your media inserts. By installing Zemanta, I have reduced the time it takes to track down information to include, and by setting up some personal settings I’m sure to find what I need when I need it.

The New

Zemanta has always offered what it thinks you will need in terms of photos and links, but today Zemanta is launching their public API which will now allow users to build a “user suggestion engine.”

Funding for the company has come from Union Square Ventures, Eden Ventures and The Accelerator Group, along with its win at the fist SeedCamp, this announcement has come out of LeWeb in Paris, France. This announcement is sure to increase not only the number of users, but also the dependency that online writers will have on this dynamic tool.

The Future

Zemanta has now opened itself to a huge reception in the world of online content creators. By opening their API, they can approach content creators to leverage their unorganized with the system, and the users are able to access the content for various needs.

In an article by TechCrunch, they state that “usage of the API is free for up to 10.000 API calls per month, and for a subscription fee above that.” So not only has Zemanta found a way to integrate user input, but they also find a way to monetize their efforts for content creators to get organized.

Zemanta has a bright future ahead of it. I have just recently connected with one of the Founders for Zemanta on Twitter @andraz. He’s easily approachable and seems to be keen on connecting with users around the world.

Posted on September 30, 2008 - by Steven Finch

Social Mention: The New Social Media Search Engine On The Block

I came across a new search engine this morning called Social Mention. Social Mention is a social media search engine, search areas include blogs, micro-blogs, bookmarks, comments, images and more.

Social Mention is great for website owners/ceo’s for keeping track of the buzz surounding their web properties. However, I would have liked to see the text size in the main column a little smaller, thus allowing more articles above the fold.

Social Mention is a great start at a search engine and Im looking forward to seeing how it grows in the future. I think Social Mention is already a lot easier to use than Technorati!

Posted on September 2, 2008 - by Luis Sandoval

Let Gary V. Pick Your Tee

In a surprising side venture, Gary Vaynerchuck known for his outrageous and popular Wine Library TV show, along with his brothers and Digg partner Joe Stump, have developed an amazing t-shirt search engine.

PleaseDressMe delves deep into the online world for hip and popular t-shirts from such places as Threadless and BustedTees. This venture is sure to gain in popularity, not just cause of the names attached to the project, but because of the popularity of slogan shirts.

The interface is no-nonsense, and while it’s still new, provides sufficient options for your search. Don’t know what you want? No problem, PleaseDressMe offers searches based on keywords, t-shirt colors, tags, and even price. A great way to encounter your own taste and at the same time be introduced to other shirts you did not know existed.

I would definitely keep an eye out on this site because it’s sure to explode with options in the coming months!

Posted on August 2, 2008 - by Mike Panic

Cuil - The Google Killer?

Searching is big business. Those listings on the right side of any Google search are there because someone paid money to advertise there. Same goes with the top 2 or 3 links. Google makes a lot of money off of these paid placements, which are there based on their dynamic search technology. Google has also come under fire for the way in which it ranks sites, called Page Rank, it is a top secret way they calculate what search results should be at the top for any given term, based on their algorithm that, some have suggested, is based on the number of in-bound and out-bound links from other sites.

Google is the killer app of this decade, no one is doubting that. It is so popular it has become a verb, people just say, “Can you Google this for me?” which is almost impossible to do with anything anymore. So what if a new search engine comes along and tries to flatten the playing field?

That is exactly what Cuil (pronounced Cool) is trying to do. They claim to index three times the number of sites Google does and display them in a three-across pattern. That alone is kind of unique for searches, as they have always gone vertically. They have also implemented tab searches, a kind of, well maybe if you were looking for camera you might also want to look for digital camera. The search engine works, that really isn’t a question, but why should I use it?

Google does so many things now, like simple and complex math problems, fast weather look-up, package tracking from UPS and other services, all the way to stock quotes and word definitions. For me, it has eliminated the need to go to specialized sites if I can just put a special query in the Google search bar in Firefox. Cuil is also missing an image search function, something even Microsoft and Yahoo have worked into their site.

Cuil has some cool features, like roll overs, drill-down menu’s and the tabbed feature mentioned earlier. They are taking on the proverbial 800 pound gorilla by going after Google too. My two cents say that Cuil will have a small cult following for a while but ultimately, this will only make Google stronger.

Posted on June 17, 2008 - by Steven Finch

Quintura: Visual Alt Search Engine Based On a Tag Cloud

Out of Russia comes one of the best alternative search engines in the market today. Quintura provides visual searching via tag clouds in with basic text search results. The service currently pulls its search results from some of the leading search engines, such as Yahoo!, MSN, Google and Technorati.

Quintura seems to be quite a basic concept that is still in development, but it seems to be making search a little more visual and fun. Im not totally sure about the idea  and where this product is really headed, mainly because I havent spent enough time using the product, but I can see its benefits. Using the tag cloud can offer quicker searches, different ideas about what to search and also related search possibilities.

Quintura seems to be quite a noval idea and is definitely still a work in progress. They have just recently launched an affiliate program that seems to be an interesting idea, it is based by using one of their search widgets on your site. The program seems to be a different way to get their name about in the marketplace, and im sure it would be worth a try. That all being said I would like to find out more about where the company is heading and what the product is going to evolve into. Quintura.com check it out today.