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Amazon's A9.com Search Engine Goes Live

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the competition-benefits-everyone dept.

scapermoya writes "Today was the official launch day of Amazon's A9.com search engine, which has been in public beta for some time now. It uses results from Google, and adds some personalized features, like bookmarks and search history. Its Java-heavy inteface reminds me of Gmail, which is nice. It doesn't seem like it was designed to supplant Google, but rather to flesh out some things that a certain demographic of people might like."

51 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. No Toolbar For Gecko Users by DrunkenTerror · · Score: 3, Informative

    The A9 toolbar only works in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

    A9 bowls a Googly


    Karma: Coma, mostly due to Massive Attack

    1. Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users by baeksu · · Score: 2, Informative

      from http://toolbar.a9.com

      quote:

      *** Currently the A9 Toolbar runs only on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. We are working to extend the toolbar to other browsers. ***

      endquote

      Give them some slack, they said they're still working on making toolbars for other browsers, too.

      --
      Gnome: A never ending quest to make unix friendly to people who don't want unix and excruciating for those that do.
    2. Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users by ricotest · · Score: 2, Informative

      According to the site itself:

      *** Currently the A9 Toolbar runs only on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or above. We are working to extend the toolbar to other browsers. ***

      Also:

      Note: We are working on toolbars to support other browsers and other operating systems (and we're looking for great developers to join our team).

      If they are hiring people to port the toolbar over, we should see a XUL or similar port very soon. Which apparently is required for some of the more advanced features of the site, such as adding diary entries.

    3. Re:No Toolbar For Gecko Users by dracken · · Score: 2, Informative

      By the way, "Googly" is a cricket term. Some leg spinners (who usually turn the ball from the leg side of the batsman to the bat side of the batsman) can turn the ball in the opposite direction (from the bat to the leg) using their usual action. Usually it leaves the batsmen confused. So to "bowl a googly" is used in the sense of "play a trump card" or "leave the opposition confused".

      -Dracken

  2. java!=javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    not the same thing, not even nearly.

  3. Font? by modifried · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wow. Do some of the links look horrible on it for anyone else using Firefox 1.0PR? The font is so small that pieces of the letters are actually missing.

    1. Re:Font? by Donny+Smith · · Score: 2, Informative

      yes it does, and if you bothered to look at the few links they have on their home page, you would have seen you can set customized preferences which include font size setting

      Oh, well...

  4. Two problems... by neiffer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I see two problems with this. First, let's face it, since they are searching text of Amazon books, it's an ad site. Sure, it's useful, but it's an ad site. Second, I tested it by typing "Helena" (my home town, the state seat of Montana) and there isn't a single picture of Helena, Montana among the first page but rather pages of women in swimsuits. I don't think adding images without asking for them adds much to searching, that's why I like Google as I can pick the content.

    1. Re:Two problems... by ClippyHater · · Score: 4, Informative

      Unclick the Images button on the right side. Problem solved. And since the service seems to cater towards personalization, perhaps it'll remember that you don't want images included in your results?

      The books button was not automatically selected for me, so you actually have to actively be looking for info in books, it doesn't just serve up Amazon results.

      So, in conclusion, pick the results you want.

    2. Re:Two problems... by dollargonzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      what you are saying doesn't really make sense. how are you picking the content with google any more than a9? doing an image search on google gives the same results (not suprisingly) as a9 images do.

      --
      BSD is for people who love UNIX. Linux is for those who hate Microsoft.
    3. Re:Two problems... by baeksu · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So don't play with the interface, sheez... The point is that this is not taking anything away from people who prefer google. It's just something that other people might find more to their liking.

      If you love google so much, stick with it. No one is forcing you to use anything else.

      --
      Gnome: A never ending quest to make unix friendly to people who don't want unix and excruciating for those that do.
    4. Re:Two problems... by psyco484 · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Because I hadn't used it before and didn't need to search for anything, I just typed in asdf. The results contain a weird picture that may or maynot be 'safe for work.' They should think about incorporating google's safesearch if they want to include images with every result. Definitely can't use this search engine from anywhere but home if there's a chance a pair of tits are going to flash on the screen when I'm searching for something from the library or my workstation...

      Other than that it seems to work as expected (I'm not noticing the problems other firefox users are complaining about?), maybe in another few months.

    5. Re:Two problems... by ClippyHater · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Guess it depends on what's useful to you. I know a bunch of folk who despise google. They don't want to "learn" how to use an efficient search engine. They want buttons to do the majority of things they're interested in. They want a search history so that if they're repeatedly looking for things, they can find it.

      What's interesting to me is the meta data they have on sites. For instance, I typed a search on Gentoo, and, of course, the Gentoo home page was first on the list. But then I saw a "Site Info" button next to the link. Clicked on it, and was taken to an Amazon (?!) page that told me semi-interesting facts about the site. For me, very cool!

      With the A9 toolbar, the site becomes even more useful to those folk it's targeting. The ability to take notes on sites seems like it could have interesting possibilities.

      Anyway, I think the sites pretty useful. Since I have broadband, the "bloat" doesn't bug me one bit. I also compile modules into my kernel :)

    6. Re:Two problems... by moonbender · · Score: 2, Informative

      The web site information is provided by Alexa, a subsidiary of Amazon. They are an internet directory of sorts, they also have a ranking of the most popular web sites. On their homepage is yet another web search engine... powered by Google.

      --
      Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
    7. Re:Two problems... by TwistedSpring · · Score: 2, Funny

      I live in a small town called "Porn" in Russia. When I searched for it on google and A9, all the results were naked ladies!

    8. Re:Two problems... by empaler · · Score: 2, Funny

      I wonder how many 'Helena'-searches that post triggered...

  5. as someone said last time... by fresh27 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...A9 is pretty bloated. It looks nice, but its a little too much for me compared to the slick and minimal style that Google has. A search for 'America' yields a 52.64 KB result page in A9, while that same search yields a 4.36KB page in Google. Size isn't necessarily a problem for me, but I think A9 is trying to pack too much stuff into what should be a simple process. If I want to find movies, I'll go to IMDB, if I want to find books I'll go to Amazon. A9 complicates it rather than simplifying things.

    --
    http://ipod.fresh27.net/
    1. Re:as someone said last time... by Finuvir · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It simplifies it for people who can't or don't want to remember all of the various sites you or I would use. A single text box that can find anything is easier than a list of specially-tuned searches.

      --
      Why is anything anything?
  6. Get a 1.57% discount at Amazon too! by bgarcia · · Score: 5, Informative
    If you log into Amazon, and then go to a9.com and do a search, you will then get an automatic pi/2 discount on every purchase you make at Amazon!

    More details available here

    --
    I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
    1. Re:Get a 1.57% discount at Amazon too! by DrEldarion · · Score: 3, Informative

      Some people seem to be having trouble getting the cookie. Going here helps.

  7. Java-heavy interface? by jpkunst · · Score: 3, Informative

    Its Java-heavy interface

    You mean Javascript-heavy interface?

    JP

    1. Re:Java-heavy interface? by nick-less · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Its Java-heavy interface
      >
      >You mean Javascript-heavy interface?

      Thats slashdot logic: if its slow and ugly, it must be java...

  8. THIS SOUNDS GREAT!!!! by ferrellcat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You mean I get to tie ALL of my web searches to a verified identity of myself (Amazon account) complete with credit card and mailing address??? OH BOY!!!!

    1. Re:THIS SOUNDS GREAT!!!! by janbjurstrom · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Exact same thought. Plus their "Diary" function. Personal thoughts and links tied to an Amazon account (and whatever else), bookmarks, etc. Their "market research division" must be salivating.

      Mmmmm...I'm leaning towards 'no-way-in-hell' myself.

      --
      668.5
  9. so basically.... by SpootFinallyRegister · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...its google repackaged with some amazon ads thrown in and plenty of bloat. gee, where do i sign up?

  10. CNET- by thewldisntenuff · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Had a blurb on this....Apparently it brings porn to your searches.....

    For example, if you search "Frontpage SEO", pr0n shows up in the image toolbar....I've seen it, but haven't played around with it much.....

    Link to the story
    http://news.com.com/2061-1032-5371766.html?tag=xtr a.ml/

    --
    My MythTV HowTo
    1. Re:CNET- by iotaborg · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you care to do the google image search for "frontpage seo", you will also find that it gets porn. In fact the images are pretty much the same under google's 'moderate filtering' from what you get on A9 (seeing that A9 uses google...)

    2. Re:CNET- by gl4ss · · Score: 2, Interesting

      well.. just try to search for "girls" :)

      what's different in this vs. google is that when you keep all the bars on you're quite likely to see the porno without even trying to get to see it.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  11. I would tend to disagree... by GillBates0 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Its Java-heavy inteface reminds me of Gmail, which is nice.

    with that statement. I don't entirely agree with using "heavy" JavaScript/etc for simple webpage based applications like search engines, which should be as lightweight and minimalistic as much as possible, allowing me to access results without having to rely on helper applications or specific interfaces

    I should be able to use lynx or other interfaces (Google API) to access results without undue overhead, if I so desire.

    It's sad lynx comes up with the following when pointed to http://www.a9.com:

    Alert!: Unable to connect to remote host.
    lynx: Can't access startfile http://www.a9.com/

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  12. Old News by moofdaddy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Didn't we already read about this a couple of days ago?

    --
    Be better in bed. Wikiafterdark!
  13. Skewed results? by dealsites · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Amazon has one of the best affiliate programs in existance. Anyone with a website can easily sign up with Amazon to make some money off selling items. I wonder if A9 will automagically find sites that have amazon links and rank them higher? It seems like they could help mazimize their revenue that way.
    --
    The Sunday deals are rolling in, check them out live.

  14. Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just typed in linux and saw that you also get to see pictures and what did my unbelieving eyes find?

    http://www.wejher.pl/mpx/pic/apple-mac10a-linux. jp g

    Great, just great!

    Now I don't dare to search for IANAL...

  15. Better than newgals.com :D by elh_inny · · Score: 2, Informative

    A9 seems a very good tool in searching some decent naked pictures. If by any chance it finds two similar pictures in a row then you can be sure there is whole series you're dealing with.
    Unfortunately I've also found it to a perfect tool for all sickos. When I enter "nude girls" or similar term, plenty of the pictures showed girls that weren't even in their teens.
    Of course I had all the content filters turned off, but I had no intention in watching such pictures and still I had to.

  16. Er... by herichon · · Score: 5, Insightful
    From their current privacy policy here:
    Use of Third Party Service Providers: We may, from time-to-time, employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include sending e-mail and analyzing data. They have access to personal information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for other purposes.
    Business Relationships with Third Parties We Do Not Control: We work closely with some third parties. In some cases, we will include offerings from these businesses on A9.com. In other cases, we may include joint offerings from A9.com and these businesses on A9.com. Click here for examples of co-branded and joint offerings. You can tell when a third party is involved in the offering, and we share customer information related to those transactions with that third party.
    My Amazon history + my credit card number + my web searching history (all searches are saved on A9 servers) + Amazon's stated intent to share information with third parties = a little too close to home for me. No thanks, A9... I'll stick with the relative anonymity of Google.
  17. Size Matters Folks! by rainman_bc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I use google as my home page for a few reasons, but the main one is size; I hate waiting for my browser, and I'm notinto about:blank.

    Google's 1.9kb. A9 is 20kb. Doesn't sound like much, but Google just loads faster because of it.

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
  18. Not that interesting by Eriky · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They just combine a few searches, like image searches and web searches. The movie search function just searches IMDB, which I can do perfectly well without a9 by just going to imdb.com. I don't need a search history either, my google toolbar takes care of that. (or the saved form info on any other browser). In my eyes, this is just an attempt to increase amazon sales, by getting some free advertising from the launch of this search service and hopefully (for them) getting some people who will actually keep using A9 though is not that great.

  19. Re:The wrath of Google? by Eriky · · Score: 3, Informative
    You can use google commercially like this if you pay them. You can actually use google with the use of API's for free, for non commercial use.

    See Google APIs for details

  20. Re:Today? by bjpirt · · Score: 2, Funny

    that would be "Sorry to be pedantic..." then ;-)

  21. search for "amazon" by coshx · · Score: 3, Informative

    A search for "amazon" gives me the ad:

    How to Cheat Amazon

    and a search for "used books" doesn't even show amazon on the first page of results.

    so either:
    1) they're being fair and not taking advantage of their position (yet)
    2) they're not business savvy enough

    1. Re:search for "amazon" by toddestan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Typing in "search engine" doesn't even yield A9 in the first page of results. Actually, after playing around in A9 some, I kind of like it. Sure, it's a bit more bloated than Google - but with 2Mbit DSL I don't notice it, and the extra bloat is actually useful.

  22. insane? by gstone · · Score: 5, Funny
    Here is my user experience:


    ummm ... OK? Seriosuly, are these guys insane including unfiltered image search results by default?
  23. Re:The wrath of Google? by Finuvir · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yes, you're missing the fact that Google makes most of its money from sub-licensing its search technology, including letting other engines serve their results for a fee.

    --
    Why is anything anything?
  24. Blame NetScape by dozer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This confusion is intentional. NetScape's client-side scripting language was originally going to be called LiveScript. A fine name. However, just before shipping it, they decided that they wanted to tie in with Sun's new marketing juggernaut even though, aside from some superficial syntax similarities, the two languages have nothing in common. Hence Java/JavaScript. Pure unadulterated idiocy!! Don't blame clueless users for this one -- this confusion is exactly what NetScape had in mind when they chose the name.

    1. Re:Blame NetScape by smcd · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sun has also said since that it is the biggest mistake they ever made with the Java brand. It would be so much "purer" for the Java brand if JavaScript was still called LiveScript.

  25. JSP = Java; Re:java!=javascript by g_braad · · Score: 4, Informative

    But the page IS made on Java Server Pages/Servlets. So the reference to Java is correct. That it also uses Javascript is very normal... (Still, Sun and Netscape made the first implementation of Javascript together (First Netscape named it LiveScript). Javascript would 'supplement' Java applets. Javascript looks even a little similar to Java itself. Netscape even had a project to write Java dynamically in the form of Javascript: LiveConnect)

    --
    F/OSS & IT Consultant
  26. Go Anonymous by GeorgeH · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you don't want Amazon tracking your searches, use http://generic.a9.com/, which doesn't look like it even sets any cookies.

    --
    Why can't I moderate something "Wrong" or at least "Grossly Misinformed"?
  27. USENET search by cmeans · · Score: 2, Informative
    Unless I missed it, there's no searching of USENET/groups.google.com. This is a mistake...it's the primary place I do my searching...

    --
    Give a hand, not a hand-out.
  28. Resist A9! by comforteagle · · Score: 4, Insightful
    DataLibre

    Amazon, or any other one entity, must not own the semantic web:

    Applying Distributed XML to The Open Source Paradigm Shift,
    DataLibre (was: Resist A9),
    & The Future of the Semantic Web is Here Today and is Evenly Distributed

  29. Site Speeds by toddestan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Something I discovered is when you click on the "Site Info" button, one of the statistics it gives out is a site's speed. I found this pretty interesting. Amazon.com is listed as "Slow". Microsoft.com is "Very Slow". A9.com is merely "Average", but Google.com is "Fast". Gentoo.org is "Very Fast", so go figure.

    The slowest site I could find so far is Tripod.com, in the 4th percentile. The fastest site so far is goat.cx (don't ask) in the 97th percentile.

  30. generic.A9.com by starling · · Score: 4, Informative
    From the same policy:

    If you would prefer not to be recognized on our site, we recommend that you use our alternate service located at generic.A9.com. On generic.A9.com, we will not recognize your Amazon.com cookie and we will not save any information stored in your A9.com cookie other than your column preferences, which are stored in your A9.com cookie and used by generic.A9.com. Information we gather on generic.A9.com will not be used in our data analysis (other than to detect abuse) and will not be used to personalize the services we offer you.


    That seems anonymous enough.
  31. RTFPP, idiot!!! by tintub · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you are really interested in privacy, read the Privacy Policy. The first thing I did was print it out, and lo and behold, if you don't want to be recognised, you can use their alternate service at http://generic.amazon.com. On generic.A9.com, they won't recognise your A9.com or Amazon.com cookie, and the information they gather will not be used in their data analysis.

    --
    sig under construction...