AOL Launching New Online Shopping Site
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America Online announced the launch of 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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(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 Inc. 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.
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America Online, the world's largest Internet service provider on Monday launched an overhauled online shopping center it hopes will help it keep pace with competitive offerings by Yahoo Inc., Google Inc.  and Shopping.com, executives said.
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AOL is blurring the lines of news with a makeover that gives its traditional news sites the look and feel of a blog, a shift that is part of its efforts to change from a subscription-based service to a free, advertising-based Web business.
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Time Warner Inc.&#39;s America Online Inc. is planning to debut a free search engine for comparing travel deals with the help of Norwalk, Conn.
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America Online will begin a new ad campaign with a new logo and a refocused brand promise, posed as a question to consumers: "Want a better Internet?"
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NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - America Online on Monday unveiled a new service under its inStore brand that offers shoppers the ability to quickly compare features and prices of rival products.
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After unveiling plans to revamp Netscape.com into a more traditional news portal, AOL is saying it will migrate its social news to a new site, Propeller.com.
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The venerable retailer finally gets apparel and home furnishings online. Does it matter?
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Ask.com on Tuesday launched its redesigned website, complete with new search technology, a three-panel design, and other new features aimed at differentiating itself from its competition.
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AOL has rolled out software with a new look and feel, and some cool tools for broadband users looking to get the most out of their high-speed connections.
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AOL co-founder Steve Case is starting an online credit card company called Revolution Money that combines a PayPal-like money transfer service with a credit card that can also be linked to a bank account.
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Travel: Gear up for a Christmas spending spree with a spot of online window shopping.
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America Online will have a desktop search capability in a new browser the company is now beta-testing, an AOL spokeswoman said Friday.
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The new features  include a section on the home page called "What's Hot," where Shopping.com staffers will highlight what they consider to be remarkable products.
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America Online Inc. is packaging new features to combat viruses, spam and spyware in response to growing online security threats. Subscribers will be able to get the free tools