2006 March 09

What if you could replace actively searching Google or MSN or Yahoo for information with having information delivered to you before you need it? Sounds a little sci-fi, but that’s exactly what Watson from Intellext aims to do. The app runs in your sidebar as you are typing and actively searches the Web and your desktop for information related to whatever your current activity might be. If you’re looking up a contact in Outlook, Watson automatically displays relevant emails to or from that contact. If you’re writing a word document about string cheese, Watson automatically provides Web results in relation to your search. All this searching happens in the background with needing to type a single query. Better yet, you can experience most of Watson for free, with advanced features like access to searching Gartner, Forrester and a few other research companies available at a modest monthly fee. At SES, Chris had the chance to talk with Jay Budzik, one of the founders of Intellext and developer of Watson about how the app works and how it might make you more productive.

Read more on Jay Budzik of Intellext on Watson Contextual Search…

When Chris interviewed Ask.com CEO Steve Berkowitz at SES San Jose 2005, the conversation alluded to impending retirement for Jeeves. Flash forward a 6 months to SES New York 2006 and Barry Diller officially gave Jeeves a golden parachute (or whatever it is that iconic cartoon characters get when they are retired). In the place of the question answering butler is a new set of features for narrowing your search based on the information you’re looking for. During SES New York 2006, Chris sat down with Ask.com GM, Jim Lanzone, to talk about what’s new at Ask.com and how Ask.com differentiates their search results from the traditional ‘10 blue links’ results pages.

Read more on Jim Lanzone of Ask.com on Search…

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I'm back on the juice. Life is once again peaceful in the Pirillo household. Google rules.