Business | Technology
For making a different search
Search engine Tafiti also has some additional functionality to offer.
- By Scott Shuey, Chief Business Reporter
- Published: 01:39 February 2, 2008
- Search engine Tafiti also has some additional functionality to offer.
- Image Credit: Gulf News
From a user's viewpoint, search engines are all pretty much the same. You enter a search term, and the engine returns relevant web pages.
The advent of Web 2.0 really hasn't changed this, but Microsoft's Tafiti is one of a new wave of search engines that are attempting to add some additional functionality.
The site allows users to search the basics (images, news and the web), but it also allow users to directly search books and RSS feeds. The site also comes in a version themed to Microsoft's Halo video games and allows users to search for Halo-related items.
This search capacity, along with the general site's ability to search books, seems limited at best. Neither option returned any results for any of the search terms I entered. This could easily be a complete waste of time for regular users.
But the measure of any search engine is its ability to deliver relevant information. Tafiti uses Microsoft's Live search engine. Everyone has their own idea of who has the best engine, but Tafiti at least can claim to offer results as relevant as any large, established search engine.
What makes the site different from most other search engines is the ability to clip and drag results to a sidebar, where they can be stored for future reference. The site uses Microsoft's new Silverlight technology to make the site a little friendlier to use and navigate, but nothing here is too extra-ordinary.
There is one exception to that. Tafiti's tree view, while extraordinary, will probably only appeal to people looking for a certain uniqueness factor. Using the tree view, users will be shown a tree with their search results hanging off the branches. Moving your mouse over the results will give additional information.
It's an interesting feature, but one that I expect will be gone in the next version - if there is one. Tafiti offers all the basic functions, but even the site's additional functionality is unlikely to make it competitive with Google or Yahoo!
Tips
- Name: Tafiti
- Type: Search engine
- URL: www.tafiti.com
- Cost: Free
- Proficiency required: Low
- Other: Silverlight required
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