Several search engines seek to be alternatives to Google
We may be coming upon a new era for the Internet search. And, despite what you may think, Google is not the only player.
New search engines that are popping up across the Web strive to make searches faster, smarter, more personal and more visually interesting.
Some sites, like Twine and hakia, will try to personalize searches, separating out results you would find interesting, based on your Web use. Others, like Searchme, offer iTunes-like interfaces that let users shuffle through photos and images instead of the standard list of hyperlinks. Kosmix bundles information by type — from Twitter, from Facebook, from blogs, from the government — to make it easier to consume.
Wolfram Alpha, set to launch Monday, is more of an enormous calculator than a search: It crunches data to come up with query answers that may not exist online until you search for them. And sites like Twitter are trying to capitalize on the warp-speed pace of online news today by offering real-time searches of online chatter — something Google’s computers have yet to replicate.
- from CNN
Several internet experts have dubbed the search engine a potential Google killer, but Mr Wolfram said that the two websites serve different purposes. “I am not keen on the hype,” he said. “[Although] I think Wolfram Alpha has the potential to be quite important.” – from Telegraph