suggestions

Yahoo plays catch-up with new suggestion feature

Yahoo's search has been updated with a "suggest" feature that brings up search queries it thinks you're looking for based upon what you type. Previously, the only way to get Yahoo search suggestions was with Yahoo's Firefox toolbar.

The company is promoting this new suggestion service as a way to speed up search. For people who struggle with correct spelling, suggestions can save a page load or two when a mistyped name yields the helpful, yet mildly patronizing "did you mean" message.

The new suggestion service is nearly identical to Google's; however, … Read more

Google Docs and Spreadsheets gets new look. Gmail next?

This morning Google updated their Docs and Spreadsheets service with a new start page, one that turns the old list view into a two-pane workspace. Users can now see a larger listing of their documents and spreadsheets, as well as organize them in folders. Yes, you read that right--Google is letting users create and manage their stuff in folders. Users can even drag and drop files.

I actually asked the Docs and Spreadsheets team about a feature like this last week, and they told me the combination of tags and search worked better. The new system continues to tag items--albeit … Read more

I'll give YOU a Quick Tip!

Quick Tips is one of my favorite series on CNET TV, and here's why: they're fast, easy, and helpful. Duh, right? However, sometimes I wonder what kinds of things you guys want to actually know about! Do you want more software tips? Hardware (like how to network your Xbox 360)? Should they be geekier, or more general? I really like getting input from Prizefight, because it helps me cater the show to what the viewers are interested in. I think that Quick Tips could be the same way. So drop me a line in the comments, let me … Read more

Shelfari: Social bookmarking for books

Shelfari is a social network and recommendation service that lets you flaunt your book collection to others, and discover new titles worth reading. Yesterday Shelfari announced a round of funding, with Amazon.com being the top contributor.

If you've ever seen Delicious Monster, Shelfari is visually similar, with virtual bookshelves that house your collection as long as you're willing to manually input all your titles. The result is a slick-looking listing to share with others on your blog or Web site (see below), and make friends with people who have similar tastes to swap recommendations.

Each Shelfari book … Read more