Occasionally on AltSearchEngines, we like to share with you the up-and-coming alternative search engines that are in pre-launch stealth mode or in private alpha or beta testing.  Here are the Top 10 that we have our eye on right now:

 Whozat? focuses on people and offers wider coverage of information sources: search engines, social and professional networks.  It is interactive: it allows users to give feedback  on every element in the results, and immediately customizes them accordingly.  It applies semantic search, focusing on meaning, not words. It ranks results according to relevance to your query, allowing information about ordinary people to be found on the web.  It includes computer vision technology, automatically generates tags that allow a searcher to indicate which person, or which aspect of a person, she is interested in.

On the site you can request an invitation to the Whozat? Beta.

FEEDS|2.0 What is Feeds 2.0?

Feeds 2.0 is a Web 2.0 personalized RSS aggregator. It incorporates a learning engine so that it does much more than show posts as they come in. Instead, it prioritizes incoming information according to the user’s interests!
How does it differ from other RSS Aggregators?
Traditional RSS readers just don’t work efficiently since in a flood of information it can be hard to find important and interesting news. For example, feeds that post frequently, tend to dominate posts. Sources that post less frequently might be buried much deeper. Feeds 2.0 ranks the feeds according to the user’s preferences and brings interesting articles in the first couple of pages.

You can sign up for an invitation to their private beta on their site.

Glam Search  

Glam Search, a proprietary search tool aimed at delivering top quality and highly relevant content from Glam Media’s 350+ lifestyle, celebrity and fashion sites, as well as its flagship site, Glam.com. Glam Search utilizes intelligent search, filtering and indexing technology to bring users comprehensive, relevant and timely results in a format not available from general search engines.  Publishers can add a customizable Glam Search Widget to their site or channel and configure results accordingly. In addition to classic search and indexing technologies, Glam Search uses a proprietary “curated rank” algorithm, which assigns a weighting to a page based on relevance, timeliness and an editorial analysis of the content source.

Nothing to do here, Glam Search is “Coming Soon.”

SurfCanyon  is developing next-generation semantic personalization technology for Internet search. Everyone is different. Everyone’s information needs are different. Search results should be customized for each individual. There are billions of web pages indexed by the major search engines. The average search query is between 2 and 3 keywords. Search engines need more than just keywords to help users reach all of that data.
 While users know what their information needs are, they are not always capable of finding the appropriate keywords to express such needs. Behaviors, however, reveal a great deal about intent. Search engines should harness this information.
 The average search session contains between 4 and 5 queries. Query reformulation is an obvious indication that users are not satisfied with the first set of results. Search engines should assist users in this process.

The site is currently in private Beta testing. Contact them to request a login.

mylivesearch  has been under development for 8 years, but it is only now that improvements in the power of computers and broadband speeds have allowed it to come of age. It is driven by intelligence rather than a finite bank of computers. MyLiveSearch’s objective is to give you a truly powerful search engine that enables you to see the web live, as it truly is, to search in your own terms and to be able to find richer information on exactly what you want much faster than with any existing tool.

World Wide Launch was Wednesday,  August 29th!  Go check it out.

nsyght  Nsyght is a new kind of social search application that does more than just suggest new sites or pages. They help leverage your existing social networks and bookmarks to create a custom search engine, just for you.

So how is this different from Mahalo, or Digg?
We all recognize the same problem, the algorithm is not enough to establish relevancy. It is our core belief that in order to present the most relevant and custom results, you still need that human factor. In our case, that human factor is you.

Do I need to install any plugins or applications?
At this stage of development, no. But it would be helpful if you have a current del.icio.us and/or Facebook account.  

Pre-launch invitations are free for the asking! 

ohigo  is planning a full release in Q4 of 2007. Past users of Ohigo may still login. If you are currently cataloging music on Ohigo, you may continue to do so.

To learn more you can email them at support@ohigo.com




Powerset’s Powerlabs:Want to try Powerset before the official release?

Sign up for Powerlabs and you’ll get a sneak peek at their technology.



Greyboxx was founded to bring optimal relevancy to “local search”. In English, that means users are going to get what they’re looking for. By leveraging intelligent algorithms that discern the quality and reputation of local businesses with minimal user interaction, they index and score local businesses without imposing review-writing chores on end-users.

Grayboxx is currently in stealth mode. 

Migoa 

It’s never been so simple to find a home, a car or a job! Migoa makes it possible by eliminating wasted hours searching on the web. Their goal is to make your life easier.

If you want to be the first to try Migoa, register to be a beta tester.

Want to see more Stealth Search Engines?  Just see our last report.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 11:56 am and is filed under Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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