Is this the the advent on Search 3.0? Google have unveiled a new format which could indeed seal its future as the king of all search engines? Squared offers a dissemination of information on a webpage described only as ’spreadsheet like’. Released close the another high profile launch of Wolfram Alpha next week, it presents another way of looking at semantic search. Sources from the San Francisco Chronicles outlines what to expect:
Google Squared, an experimental service, automatically compiles details from several Web pages and organizes them into a table on a single page, with multiple columns like a spread sheet. A search for “small dogs,” for instance, returns a list of breeds, an accompanying image and a brief description, plus the average height and weight of each breed.
I have to admit I’m slightly worried with the fact that these changes and added layers of search just won’t catch on with ordinary Joes (six pack?) out there in the world. It might prove a hit with those researchers but would the person off the high street want these filters, columns and such for finding a cheap TV. I’m not so sure. And I’m not so sure that Squared would be a regularly used feature either. I’ll be seeing what Wolfram Alpha does and looking very closely at its ability to deal with spam in particular.
This month sees the launch of Wolfram Alpha, the much talked about search engine created by Stephen Wolfram. Forget the fact that naming the engine after one self may constitute as a glorious vanity project. No, this baby looks serious with a hefty engine under the bonnet. Other search engines have tried and failed to dismount the oversized mammoth that is Google (Cuil anyone?) but WA has a chance to take a slice of the search pie from Yahoo! at least. Here’s why: its much hyped computional engine. WA essentially runs on big server technology sucking up all the data it can get its hands on via your website. Algorithms sift and filter this mass of info but not just a few. The blog states that tens of thousands of algorithms could be at work to get the information you need. A much detailed explanation can be found here.
However, the crux of the matter would be not necessaryily the relevancy of searches generated. Google’s initial popularity was helped by its simplicity over its rival, Yahoo!. Usability and to some degree how it spread by word-of-mouth would be defining factors on the success of Wolfram Alpha. I don’t think your Paris Hilton’s of the world would be much interested in ‘mathematica’ or its ‘world class algorithm’ if it works like a dog and doesn’t offer the simplicity of Google.
I’ll be watching this one closely and hopefully it wouldn’t fall over on launch.
