ASK Relaunches in 3D

ASK.com had replaced its entire UI and introduced a more “hip” 3D interface integrating several verticals all together on all serps.

All serps include a “framed page” with a left side navigation which allows one to refine the current query with narrower terms, wider terms and even related names. The “result” part of the page include (among the regular results), a quick image search, definition, related news from the blogosphere and a small “sponsored listing” bar.

For example I ran a search for “Ass” (just because the letters are close, nothing else!) and the results are quite promising.

Narrow your search included:

Tiny Tight Thongs
Skimpy Thongs
Ass Cheese
Pink Thong

Expand your search included:

Bikini

And lastly, Related Names listed:

Carmen Electra
Vida Guerra

(pretty good choice if you ask me)

Images included:

Definition described a donkey!?!

Lastly the results themselves while including a small site-preview windows, were quite disappointing as the first result included a “parked” spam domain which has been this way for ages:

In summery, the new interface is new and refreshing, and this integration of different verticals seems to be the new focus of the major engines. While I know that this is not an algo related update, I would like to mention that at this level a search engine, who can obviously distinguish between a human ass and a donkey, to make the distinction in the serps as well.