Personal research assistant with Yahoo!Xtra

Yahoo!Xtra Search unveils new functionality giving Kiwis their own personal research assistant

Intelligent internet search tool developed by Yahoo! now available to New Zealanders on Yahoo!Xtra Search.

AUCKLAND, NZ – July 8, 2009 – Yahoo!Xtra today announced the release of Search Pad beta, new search engine functionality that helps Kiwis to capture, organise, save and share the information that they find while researching online. Search Pad provides a new search experience that will prove invaluable to anyone who has ever used the web for research: whether for school, investigation of health issues, job hunting, or to find the perfect travel getaway.

Search Pad simplifies online research by automatically recognizing when people are conducting research, and allowing them to easily capture information and websites found in their search results. Once activated, Search Pad automatically saves recent items, including links in one integrated notepad that stays with them as they search. You can edit your notes and then print, save, email, or share your Search Pad documents with family, friends, colleagues or anyone else, eliminating the need for others to do the same research.

Yahoo!Xtra will be releasing this new functionality in New Zealand in tandem with the US, Australia, the UK and several other Yahoo! sites throughout the world. “We’re very proud to bring New Zealanders practical tools that make searching the web easier and more efficient,” said Alison Roigard, head of content and alliances for Yahoo!Xtra. “Search is such a fundamental activity online, and providing world-class technology to New Zealanders is at the heart of Yahoo!Xtra’s objectives.”

Search Pad has a host of features that make search and research as meaningful and manageable as possible:
1) Automatic Research Detection: Understands research intent to initiate note-taking;
2) Simple Collecting: Tightly integrated into the search experience; once research begins, it automatically collects visited websites and thumbnails;
3) Organise: Easily manages research into a coherent document for quick reference with capabilities that include free-form note entry, drag & drop, auto-attribution of the URL for pasted notes, and save/delete of notes and documents;
4) Share: Provides simple and useful ways to share work with friends and colleagues via print, email, publish, and a number of social networks.

Give it a go now. Head to http://www.yahooxtra.co.nz/search and perform a search. Click the Search Pad button to the right of your results and see how effortless it makes searching.

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