Search News Desk

The aniticipated $200 PC with the non-Microsoft OS was not part of Google co-founder Larry Page's announcement during his keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Instead, the company announced Google Pack, a suite of free downloads that "give users a way to painlessly install all the essential software they need - pre-configured in a sensible way - in a matter of minutes," according to Marissa Mayer, VP of search products and user experience at Google. Mayer's official statement said that the company has "heard from countless new computer owners that it can take days or weeks to install all the software they need to make their computer useful," a statement presumably referring to Microsoft Windows systems. Whatever one makes of that statement, Google also said that it will maintain and update all the software so that users "don't have to keep trac... (more)

Google Going Strong as Market Leader

A survey of consumer satisfaction in July 2005 conducted by UK-based market researcher Keynote Systems ranked Google in first place in the search market, and statistical research my Media Metrix shows Google in first place as well. The Keynote study rated consumer satisfaction in a number of areas. Google was followed in its rankings by Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves and Lycos. The study also showed Google’s competitors closing the gap since Keynote’s last report on this topic was released in May 2004. The new Keynote study found that actual search results returned by the five ... (more)

Answers.com Gears Up for Back-to-School Season

GuruNet Corporation creators of Answers.com, the answer-based search engine, has announced a concerted, multi-pronged marketing effort aimed at sharing the numerous benefits of its free service with students, educators and parents. For homework, term papers, research, or class discussion, Answers.com provides clear, reliable information instead of the alternative: search engine links that students follow one by one, to unfiltered, unverified sources.     Promotional elements planned for this effort include:     - The release of a Teacher's Toolkit (found at http://www.tea... (more)

Katrina Is "Most-Searched News Event" Since 9/11, Says Lycos

Lycos yesterday announced details from The Lycos 50, the 50 most popular Internet search results for the week ending Sept. 3, 2005. 'Hurricane Katrina' is the most-searched news event since September 11 attacks. No other hurricane, says Lycos, with the exception of Hurricane Floyd, which hit number one in Sept. 1999, has generated the amount of search activity that Katrina currently sees. The Lycos 50 Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending Sept. 3, 2005: 1) Hurricane Katrina 2) Poker  3) Labor Day 4) Britney Spears 5) Pamela Anderson  6) NFL 7) New Orleans  8) Paris Hilton 9) Neope... (more)

Google Makes its Move on Microsoft Office

Google Thursday planted its flag on the shores of Microsoft's Fortress Office, finally opening up shop to sell the anticipated commercial version of its comparatively rudimentary web-based productivity software, aiming it at the big enterprise, the source of much of Microsoft's power and revenue. It's calling the stuff Google Apps Premier Edition and put an annual price tag of $50 per user account on it, undercutting - but not by ridiculous amounts - what large accounts wind up paying Microsoft for Office. However, Google claims it is so cheap it's a "no-brainer to try it out." It's... (more)