With a sleek, new interface and features launched last week, search provider Ask.com is trying to close the distance against rival and industry leader Google.
Ask3D offers users a simple, three-panel design, but unlike Google's Universal Search which puts related results sets (images, dictionary, blogs, location, etc) in the center column, Ask3D moves them to the right column. According to a company press release, the folks at Ask believe these changes will significantly reduce the number of searches a user will need to get to the correct result:
"Ask3D reduces the amount of hunting and pecking it takes for people to find what they need. We do this by delivering the right information, from the deepest range of content, all on one clean and simple page. With Ask3D, we are taking a leap towards the future of search."
It will be interesting to see how the move to blended results (both Google, Ask and others) will impact ad revenue in the near-term.
A search on 'iraq' provides a snapshot of the country, complete with flag image, from the CIA Factbook, along with travel advisories (US State Department), maps, weather and local time at the top of the page. Not a category killer but useful.
Ask3D also provides a "binocular" snapshot preview of the site with technical stats on page size and download time.
But there is a sizable gap between the two players. According to Forbes, Google currently has a 65% share of the U.S. search market; Ask.com has a mere 3.7%.
It remains to be seen if the efficiencies promised by Ask3D will be sufficient to draw Google users away and help meaningfully close the gap.
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