The New Ask.com Unveiled: New Site, New Brand, New Tools
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Innovative Search Tools, Advanced Search Technology and Sleek Design Help Users Search Faster
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Internet searchers can take advantage of a better search experience: the new Ask.com. Formerly known as Ask Jeeves, the new Ask.com offers differentiated search technology, instinctive search tools and a sleek design to help people get what they need faster. With a new brand that represents the Ask.com of today and reflects the significant advancements the engine has undergone in recent years, Jeeves the butler has retired from the site.
"The new Ask.com is the culmination of years of innovation, combining the most advanced core search technology with one-of-a-kind tools that make search better," said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Ask.com. "People deserve a search engine that gives them the tools to get what they need faster, not just a bunch of links on a page. Ask.com takes search to the next level."
The new Ask.com features include:
o New Homepage: A new sleek design, the page is cleaner and more straightforward.
o The Ask.com "Toolbox": Homepage shortcuts to more than 20 search tools, including maps, images, weather, dictionary, local and desktop search. The Toolbox is easily customizable to include the tools someone uses most. The Toolbox can be opened or closed depending on user preference.
o Ask.com Maps: New and improved Maps and Driving Directions that combine an AJAX-based interface with a differentiated set of mapping tools to create the easiest way to build an itinerary. Includes:
o Drag-able location pins that automatically recalculate directions, even when you don't know the address
o Right-click to add a location for any point on a map
o Build an itinerary with up to 10 locations
o Get walking directions, in addition to driving -- an industry first that allows consumers to find the best way to get to their destination on foot (great for city-dwellers)
o Hit a "Play" button to take a visual test drive of your directions (great for forks in the road)
o Open and close a left-hand information panel to enable wider map view
o Overhead map views taken through aerial photography, which provides better visual resolution than satellite photos for most locations
o Encyclopedia Search: Utilizing content from Wikipedia, Houghton Mifflin and Columbia, Ask.com displays direct answers right at the top of the results page.
o Web-based Desktop Search: Ask.com Desktop Search users now have the ability to access their files and emails through their Web browser, in addition to a standalone application. Ask.com is the only search engine to offer both choices. Ask.com Desktop Search can now be accessed via the new Ask.com Toolbar.
o Shaded Sponsored Listings: Ask.com now has the fewest ads of any major search destination on the first screen of results. With Smart Answers, Ask.com is also the only search engine to place editorial results above advertisements.
"The new Ask.com is like having a speed dial to the best search has to offer." said Jim Lanzone, general manager of Ask.com U.S. "With the new site, we've continued our singular focus of innovating at the core of search - where it matters most to people. We've put unique search tools in the right place, at the right time, freeing people from wading through endless links so they can get to the good stuff faster."
The new site and search tools at Ask.com build on the innovative technologies the company has launched in recent years, including:
o ExpertRank: Ask.com's proprietary algorithmic search technology, which ranks results based on popularity within topic communities on the Web, rather than simply by link popularity.
o Smart Answers: Ask.com pioneered Smart Answers, which provide shortcuts to answers and tools at the top of the search results page. Ask.com offers broader coverage of these shortcuts than any major search engine.
o Binoculars preview tool: Allows searchers to preview Web sites by simply mousing over the binoculars icon within their search results.
o Zoom related search: Conceptually-related suggestions to narrow or expand a query.
o Critically-acclaimed Image search.
o Web Answers: Direct answers harnessed from the billions of pages in the Ask.com index. While expanding its capabilities to all areas of search, Ask.com has continued to lead the industry in the area of question-answering and natural language.
o MyStuff (formerly MyJeeves): The first personalized search service for saving, sharing, and organizing search results.
"Today's launch is a pivotal moment in our history, ensuring a well-known and much-loved search engine continues at the forefront of the evolution of the Internet search market," concluded Lanzone. "With the new Ask.com, coupled with the backing of our parent company IAC/InterActiveCorp, we have developed a platform for the future of search where new search tools and content will be increasingly integrated within the search engine to meet consumer demand."
B-Roll footage of the new Web site and tools, as well as sound bites from Steve Berkowitz regarding the new Ask.com is available at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ask.
About Ask.com
A leading search engine on the Web, Ask.com combines world-class search technology with one-of-a-kind search tools to help people get what they are looking for faster. Ask.com sites include Ask.com US (www.Ask.com), Ask.com Deutschland, Ask.com Espana, Ask.com Japan and Ask.com UK. Additionally, Ask.com syndicates its search technology and advertising units to a network of affiliate partners. Ask.com is a division of IAC Search & Media, a wholly- owned business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI).
Source: Ask Jeeves, Inc
CONTACT: Patrick Crisp of Ask.com, +1-510-985-7696, or patrick@ask.com;
or Aimee Yoon of Dotted Line Communications, +1-617-267-9794, or
aimee@dottedlinecomm.com, for Ask Jeeves, Inc
Web site: http://www.ask.com/
