What is Ask 3D?
Ask 3D is the new and improved version of Ask.com; there's a new interface, new search features, and new and improved search results to play with here. If you'd like to see an image gallery of the new Ask 3D, check this out: Take a Tour of the New Ask 3D.What's with the "3D" thing?
Nope, you don't have to dig for your 3D glasses; the 3D in Ask 3D refers to both the triple-faceted face of Ask search (query expression, investigating results, and content exploration) and the new search results interface of Ask 3D, which presents integrated results in a three-tiered format.Ask 3D search first impressions
Ask has made some major changes to their search service, one of which is the ability to pick different "skins", or visual interfaces, to the initial search page. You get to pick from quite a variety here (my favorite was Western Sky). It's a nice way to customize your search experience.How about search results? Ask 3D does not disapppoint. A quick search for "summer" brought back an integrated page chock full of all sorts of mixed media results; I'll take these one by one.
- In the far left column, Ask 3D has placed the search bar (the default in most every search engine is front and center, so this is quite a departure from that), along with clustered search suggestions to help you widen or narrow your search even further.
- In the middle column: Ask 3D has integrated their Smart Answers feature (basically, a quick blurb of the most pertinent facts) with their regular search results. They've also enhanced one of my favorite features ever, the Binoculars, which allows you to see a sneak preview of your search results without ever leaving the Ask 3D site.
- In the far right column: This is where the integrated mixed media comes in. Images, news, encyclopedia entries, video (you can actually watch a few seconds of the videos simply by placing your mouse over the picture), and music - again, just like the video, you can listen to a few snippets of audio selections and never leave the Ask 3D site.
Why should I use Ask 3D?
I can think of a few reasons:- Integrated results. This is a big one, and it's not just limited to just the default Web search option. For instance, I did an image search for summer and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was given more than just image search results - it's a great way to expand your search horizons.
- Personalization: It's not particularly groundbreaking when it comes to search, but darn it, I really like the skins. I found myself playing with this quite a bit, and I'm looking forward to when we can upload our own pics here. In addition, Ask 3D makes it quite simple to customize your searches with the My Stuff option, which basically gives you the space to save your searches (handy when you're researching something, for example).
- Expanded search options. Most of us know that the Web is kind of a big place, and finding what you want can be a bit daunting if you're not sure what it is you're looking for. Ask 3D attempts to tackle this gargantuan task by placing as many mixed results as possible all in one place for your browsing pleasure - and I think they really made it work.
Bottom line - Ask 3D got it right.
Now, I don't want to get too rah-rah here; I do think that there's definitely room for improvement in Ask 3D: load times could be faster, and not all search queries come back with the nicely integrated three-tier results. However, there's so much positive stuff going on here that these are minor glitches. I have to say that I'm really enjoying this new version (as of June 2007) of Ask.com; it's an easy yet incredibly powerful way to make your Web searches more efficient and productive.
