ask.com

If being one of only two keynotes at the search industry's largest annual trade show means anything, then Ask has some bragging rights.

At the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday morning, Ask.com Chief Executive Jim Lanzone talked about the success of the latest interface redesign and downplayed privacy scares with search engines. He also showed a new television ad the company is running that won't see a backlash like a recent Ask marketing campaign did.

The TV ad, which has no voice-over, follows a cursor as it navigates through the different options … Read more

Using the Internet to research medical information isn't new. We've all been typing our various ailments and symptoms into search engines for a while; it's so much quicker than calling the doctor.

And the major search sites are gearing up to bank on this trend, treating health and medical information as an important specialized vertical that merits its own treatment.

Ask.com released a survey this week that found that of more than 3,000 adults who participated in the online poll, 70 percent rely on the Internet as a primary source of health-related information, just two … Read more

Ask.com says it is answering Michael Dell's challenge to companies to become more green.

The IAC-owned search engine announced Wednesday that it's using Dell servers in its new data center that will use 30 percent less energy without sacrificing computing power. Plus, Ask is planting "thousands" of trees as part of Dell's "Plant a Tree For Me" initiative in which trees are planted to offset carbon emissions.

The CEO of Dell made the pitch back at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Many tech companies have made their own pledges to adopt a greener attitude. … Read more

Microsoft has been pretty busy today, adding two third-party services to its consumer and business brands. The first is a new integration with Farecast [coverage] on MSN's travel site. Users get a new module, containing airfare predictions and deals, that offers a listing of cheap airfares as well as an airport finder. Instead of jettisoning you out to Farecast's site, it will open up right inside of MSN--similar to opening up an app in Facebook.

On the business end, Microsoft has added the option to buy search keywords on Ask.com via Microsoft Office Live's adManager service. … Read more

Category: Reference

Ask.com may not be the No. 1 search engine out there, but it's been doing some interesting things with new Web technologies, including its mapping services. Ask.com Maps and Directions allows users to search and get directions in any city really quickly. What separates it from some other directions services is its capability to give you directions for both driving and walking. It works mostly for short hauls (obviously) and gives you turn-by-turn directions for getting around city blocks on foot. If you've ever been following a road map in the city and come … Read more

Ask.com tonight is launching a new interface and a few cool new features for its search engine, which it's calling Ask3D (see CNET News.com's story). The company's AskX experimental search interface previewed many of its features.

The first thing users will notice is an attractive new home page, with pretty buttons to narrow a search by type, such as images, maps, or blogs. Users can select one of several photos as a background image on the main search interface. (In the future, you'll be able to use your own image). When you begin to type in a query, a drop-down box gives you suggestions to fill it out.

The new interface splits up search result pages into three panes. In the middle, you get your ads (by Google) and your main links. If there's an editorially created "smart answer," as there is for a popular query like "Speed Racer," you'll get a useful little blurb above everything else. Ask.com's editorial team, like Mahalo's, creates content for the most popular results (Mahalo also curates search results, which is a useful additional service).

Many results have a spyglass icon, which will display a snapshot of the search result when you hover over it (like CoolIris.com does), as well as displaying useful stats such as the page size and the load time.

On the left of the main pane, you get links related to your search. For example, in the "Speed Racer" search, under "narrow," there are links to search on ringtones, facts, the Mach 5, and so on. These links do a very good job of conveying the context of the search you're looking at.

… Read more

We realize not everyone uses Firefox to browse the Web, but for those who do, there's a really great extension that's been getting a lot of buzz lately. It's called Customize Google and it does just that. You can customize every service Google offers, from basic tasks such as automatically redirecting to the secure versions of Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs and Spreadsheets, to actually adding links to other search services such as MSN, Yahoo, and Ask.com. Social bookmarking nuts can also add links to services such as Reddit, Digg, and Del.icio.us, right … Read more

One of the things I love most about Google is how it has made other search competitors focus on simplicity and elegance in their interfaces. A prime example of this trend is Ask X, which can be described as the better-looking sibling of Ask.com.

Ask X uses Ajax to provide users with a refresh-free searching experience. Clicking among various search options such as images or video automatically refreshes your results without having to reload the page. The same goes for any new search you enter. Ask X has three window panes: one for typing searches, one for viewing results, … Read more

Ask.com has released a new way to find all things local. While that may not sound exciting, once you try out AskCity, you will be hooked on this quick and easy super-directory that requires no prior knowledge of what you seek.

AskCity allows users to search for things like restaurants and services within a chosen area. An intuitive and simple interface integrates maps, address information, directions and sharing features, while eliminating many annoying steps. Unlike other directories, AskCity does not require that you even remember the name of that town with the Thai place near that movie theater that … Read more