AOL, Kayak to Build Travel Search Site
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America Online has partnered with and taken a minority investment in travel search player Kayak Software. The two will build an AOL-owned travel search site, to launch in early 2005, which will be powered by Kayak&#39;s technology.
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(InfoWorld) - AOL is now letting anyoneÂ test drive the latest version of its search engine, which saw a significant usage drop last month, apparently causedÂ by the release of user recordsÂ and an ensuing privacy scandal. AOL's revamped search engine, which is in beta mode, is being designed with broadband users in mind, the Web portal and Internet access provider said Wednesday. This version is operational but still under construction. When finished, it will mix, in a single results page, links to different types of files, like Web pages, photos, business listings and videos. It will also have tools for people to refine queries and fine-tune results. But if the latest search engine usage report from Nielsen/NetRatings is any indication, AOL needs to focus not only on new features but also on regaining people's confidence. Last month, people in the U.S. ran 18.2 percent fewer queries on AOL's search engine, compared with August 2005, Nielsen/NetRatings announced Tuesday. That landed AOL in fourth place with 5.5 percent of queries, or about 329 million. Among the top five providers, AOL was the only one whose usage share shrunk in August. AOL also experienced a drop in July, but it was smaller at 7.8 percent. The larger drop coincides with the privacy scandal that erupted in early August over AOL's release of about 20 million search records from about 658,000 of its members. This prompted outcry from privacy advocates and a public apology from AOL. The search records, covering the three-month period between March and May, didn't include member names, but AOL tagged each person's records with a unique number. This made it possible to see what each individual searched for. The data included search queries, as well as Web sites the members clicked on to. The queries contain all sorts of sensitive information, like credit card, telephone and Social Security numbers, as well as birth dates, full names and addresses. According to Nielsen/NetRatings,Â Google finished first with a little over half of all queries, or about 3 billion. Google's query volume grew 30 percent compared with August 2005. Yahoo Inc. came in second with 24 percent of all queries. Its query volume grew 23 percent. Microsoft Corp.'s MSN fielded 10 percent of all queries, and its query volume grew 3 percent. Finally, IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com finished in fifth place with a 2.3 percent share. Its query volume grew 30 percent. A Nielsen/NetRatings analyst wasn't immediately available to comment on this latest report.
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According to sources familiar with testing, America Online is developing its own desktop search technology that will initially be added to the AOL Browser beta as early as the end of this week. AOL's entry into the space pits it directly against rival Microsoft, which has designs for a desktop search engine of its own.
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OceanSchedules.com turned to Ajax technology to build a site that greatly improves the ability of shippers to search the the schedules of ocean carriers.
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NEW YORK - Business travelers will be able to surf the Web securely on long-distance flights by combining services from Boeing Co.
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Company partners with Kayak Software with aim to complement the burgeoning online travel sales market.
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Travelocity and Expedia don't always find the best airfares, but there's a new breed of travel-search sites on the scene. We review four -- Yahoo FareChase, FareCast, SideStep and Kayak -- and find that one does significantly better in finding the lowest fares.
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America Online has launched an online shopping site it says will provide an easy and fast way to compare products from thousands of online merchants.
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com. America Online Inc. on Wednesday launched new features in its Singingfish search site for audio and video on the Web. AOL, a division of Time Warner Inc.
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More group travelers â including people planning family reunions â are using the Web to arrange their plans.
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Google and Microsoft are battling anew for online travelers with rival Internet mapping services that provide vivid real-world views of major US cities.
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Yahoo has said that it would soon begin testing a search engine called FareChase that allows travel shoppers to compare prices. The site, available to the general public since late Tuesday is meant to help
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America Online said Thursday it will launch a free online service to search the Web for the best travel deals, highlighting the online giant&#39;s ambitions to boost it free Web-based businesses.
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AOL&#160;plans to unveil a number of new mobile services Tuesday, including the customizable MyAOL for mobile phones as well as a redesigned AOL.com portal page for mobile phones.The beta version of the mobile portal has been available since September but is now being formally introduced, said Scott Falconer, executive vice president of AOL Mobile. The portal includes the type of news, entertainment, and sports content that is available on the desktop version of the portal.In addition, it features AOL&#39;s mobile search technology that returns tailored results for mobile users. For example, if a mobile user searches for a music artist, the first results may be ringtones. In addition, AOL&#39;s search crawls an index of sites designed for mobile use, so it will return those sites near the top of the list.The search results will now include paid listings. That addition started last week, said Falconer.AOL is also announcing that MyAOL, the customizable home page, will be available to mobile users. People will get access to the same MyAOL they build in their regular PC browsers.Other new mobile services from AOL will include a shopping service that lets users enter a barcode number or product name and receive comparative prices for the product at various retailers, as well as contact and location information for the retailer.AOL is also launching a downloadable client called MyMobile. Initially available only on Windows Mobile devices, MyMobile is designed to offer an easy way for users to download and use AOL services of their choice, such as mail, MapQuest, and CityGuide, within a single application on the phone.AOL isn&#39;t alone among Internet services and content companies pursuing mobile users. So far, none seems to have a clear advantage. &quot;I would say it&#39;s still an open market,&quot; said Falconer. &quot;Google of course is the leader in online search but mobile search is fundamentally different.&quot; In addition to the online giants, a number of startups are targeting the mobile search and content market.AOL has two reasons for offering mobile services, including as a way to maintain loyalty among its existing user base and as a way to grow its advertising business, Falconer said. Analysts are predicting large growth in mobile advertising and AOL hopes to establish a foothold in the market, he said.
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Following the disappearance of Steve Fossett, Amazon.com and Google joined forces to coordinate a âdistributed searchâ for the millionaire aviator and adventurer. Welcome to the new world of search and rescue.
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We need a search engine to find all the search engines. Two more Web-query services launched last week, Accoona and Blingo; their initial performance, however, suggests market leaders Google and Yahoo don&#39;t have reason to worry yet.
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Internet media company Yahoo Inc.  on Tuesday said it would soon begin testing a travel price comparison search engine called FareChase as it further integrates Web search services into its offerings.