Don’t Ask Jeeves
It’s official. In a move to rebrand and reestablish, AskJeeves has changed their name to Ask and has done away with our Jeeves. We are saddened.
Ask.com launched their cleaner, (let’s face it) more Google-esque site today, hoping the new look and added features will help people ‘get the good stuff faster". The sleeker, more mature looking site traded in the butler for an all grown up left-hand ‘toolbox’ that boasts 20 new search tools, including AJAX-based maps, movie times, thesaurus, stock info, dictionary, local search, images and more.
Some of our favorite new features include:
- Ask.com Map: The new Maps and Directions feature gives users a choice of street, aerial or mixed map view. Users can build a 10-stop itinerary, use drag-able pins to change locations, use the "play" feature to simulate the drive ahead or select walking directions for details on how to get where they’re going on foot.
- Encyclopedia Search: Ask.com uses information from Wikipedia, Houghton Mifflin and Columbia to give users direct answers at the top of their results page.
- Desktop Search: Users can download the Desktop Search feature to search for any file, document or email stored on their computer from their web browser.
- Local Listings: Lets users search by category and area to find the best local business around. Equally great for finding a nearby 24-hour plumber or that hole-in-the-wall pizza place.
- MyStuff: Formerly MyJeeves, the first personalized search service for users interested in saving, sharing or organizing search results.
Site officials hope the new look will separate Ask from its early question and answer-based predecessor. Ask Vice President Daniel Read:
"The goal is to establish a difference between the Ask Jeeves of the late 1990s and early 2000s and the Ask.com of today, Read says." This is the culmination of three years of intensive innovation and product launches,” he explains. “The new site brings together the tools and services developed over the past three years into one easy-to-use interface.”
Also part of the rebranding, Teoma.com will be rolled into the new Ask.com site. Users looking to visit Teoma (all seven of you) will now be redirected to Ask, which has adopted all of Teoma’s powers and features, with the exception of the Resources page.
Just prior to the rebranding, Jeeves was shown riding off into the sunset on horseback to start his much hyped retirement. Let’s hope the good people at Ask know what they’re doing.
(Hat-Tip to Andy Beal)