Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Blinkx and You Won't Miss It

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the silly-story-titles dept.

WebfishUK writes "The Guardian is running this story about Blinkx a a kind of "search companion" which aims to bring internet searches in closer contact to what you are working on. Its total search approach (including email attachments, blogs and local files) seems to have some parallels to Googles Gmail engine. Could this be the first real technology threat for Google?"

4 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. "search companion" ? by ack154 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Maybe it's just me... but "search companion" sounds a lot like "spyware." Let's hope this is not the case with this software ... although, this part kind of worries me:
    Blinkx's planned business model involves getting advertising revenue from contextual adverts, product channels and white labelling, but she emphasises that the search is independent: it is mathematically based and just looks at words and their context. She adds: "It is clean, but users don't know that so we show our advertisements in a different colour".
    I think I'll just stick to Google/Gmail and let them read just my email. I don't need someone also reading all of the data on my PC to serve ads.
  2. They're not alone by joeykiller · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe this is a threat to Google, but I don't think the competitors are far behind. Nat Friedmans Dashboard and Sideboard have been mentioned elsewhere, and it seems like Microsoft is planning a similar application themselves.

    Apparently Google is planning local hard drive searches as well, in a pre-emptive move against improved search techologies that will be a part of Windows/Longhorn.

    So I guess Blinx won't be left alone for long. However, when it comes to search, the more players the better. Google is well on its way to become the new Microsoft, and I don't think it's in anybodys best interest to get a search monopolist.

  3. Re:Could this be Google's first technology threat? by Anonymous+Writer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This can easily be wiped out by companies like Microsoft and Apple anyway. In Apple's case, all they would need to do is link Spotlight with Sherlock with some simple plugin.

    The reason Google can compete is that it isn't an application that you have to download. Anything that is a downloadable application will be easily snuffed by major software companies like those that make instant messaging apps like Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, and Apple.

  4. Re:Not a threat if... by congaflum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You gotta love the use of the term "optimized for", when waht they actually mean is "requires" :-)