Documents show Amazon gaming search results to promote its brands while copying rival products in India


When it comes to accusations of fixing search results, it is usually the likes of Google in the firing line, but documents seen by Reuters show that Amazon has engaged in such activities.
The news agency obtained thousands of internal Amazon documents cited as evidence that the company not only "ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs", but also that it was "manipulating search results to boost its own product lines".
How full-text search engines improve productivity at work


Entering the era of private space travel, you’d think that even if the rest of us can’t yet launch into orbit, at the very least we could make our lives easier through instant search across terabytes of up-to-date enterprise data from any place we may happen to visit on this planet. The good news is, with enterprise search software and a search index, we can make Earth that much more habitable while we await own spacecraft.
Now you may look up at the stars and wonder: what is a search index? A search index is not like the type of index you’d find at the end of a large book. Instead, it is simply an internal tool for storing each unique word and each unique number across an enterprise dataset, and the locations of all words and numbers in the data. The sole purpose of the search index is for the search engine to comprehensively search across everything, processing as many search requests as come in at any one time.
Google unveils new Nest smart home stuff


Google bought Nest more than seven years ago now, and since that acquisition, there have been many cool smart home devices to come from the search giant. Under the Nest branding, there's not just smart thermostats and cameras, but other products too such as doorbells and speakers. Ultimately, the name "Nest" has become synonymous with the smart home.
Today, Google unveils some new Nest smart home devices, and they are all camera-related. There is a new doorbell (with integrated camera) plus three new dedicated security cameras. What's notable is that the new doorbell and one of the new cameras can be run from a battery, meaning they do not require a hardwire power connection. One of the cameras features nifty floodlights too.
Google updates search to tell you why you're seeing particular results


Google has announced a significant upgrade to it search engine that means you will now be better informed about the reasons particular results are displayed to you.
Much of the time it is apparent why a certain page has been included in results, but this is not always the case. It is with this in mind that Google is updating the About This Result panel in search results to be more informative.
Use DuckDuckGo to create a QR code for any website


If you care about your privacy on the web, and you’re worried about just what Google knows about you, then privacy-focused search site DuckDuckGo is a great alternative.
It offers lots of features that you may not be aware of, including the ability to quickly generate a QR code for any website.
The future of enterprise search technology [Q&A]


Businesses are gathering more data than ever before, but being able to make effective use of it means being able to find information when you need it.
What challenges does dealing with these ever larger amounts of data present? And how can you be certain that your searches are delivering relevant information and insights to drive your business decisions? We spoke to Stéphane Kirchacker, VP EMEA at search specialist Sinequa to find out.
The viral 'TikTok feta pasta' is wildly popular, and Google can prove it


TikTok is where all the cool people spend their time online nowadays. If you haven't tried the app before, I highly suggest that you do. The service is extremely addictive, and you can easily waste hours scrolling through the short videos.
The TikTok service is relevant for all age groups and caters to many interests. Best of all, over time, the algorithm will learn your behaviors and more frequently present you with content you are likely to enjoy.
Connecting employee and customer experience delivers business success


Companies that connect employee experiences with customer experiences improve both, with dramatic boosts in revenue growth and customer satisfaction according to a new study.
The research conducted by Forrester Consulting for Lucidworks finds most brands put personalization and omnichannel capabilities at the top of their enterprise-level priority list. however, two-thirds of respondents report an inability to consistently service customers across touchpoints and personalize those experiences.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 20215 with dark theme search results


It’s that time of the week again when Microsoft rolls out a new Windows 10 build to Insiders on the Dev Channel.
Build 20215 introduces dark theme search results for insiders who have the system theme set to dark.
Google launches COVID-19 site to provide information about coronavirus


In times of crisis, information is important -- and this is certainly true of the current coronavirus pandemic. Google is well-placed to judge how much interest there is in the topic, and the company says that searches released to COVID-19 are the most popular right now.
Responding to this, Google has announced not only changes to the way it search engine works when people look for coronavirus information, but also that is it launching a dedicated COVID-19 website to provide easy access to information, help and resources.
Google launches secret Easter Egg for Indian Hindu Holi Festival


Holi, the "festival of colors", is a hugely popular event in India that signifies the triumph of good over evil and heralds the arrival of spring. It's when Hindus throw colorful paint at each other.
Today marks the start of the Holi Festival, and to celebrate it, Google has launched a new Easter Egg in its search. Accessing it is pretty easy too. Best of all, it is very fun.
DuckDuckGo protects your online privacy with new open source Tracker Radar service


Google competitor DuckDuckGo is already well-known as a search engine that goes further than others to protect user privacy. Now the company has open sourced Tracker Radar, its data set that details thousands of domains that track you as you use the internet.
DuckDuckGo Tracker Radar is something that the company already uses itself to power the tracker protection in the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser mobile apps and DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials desktop browser extensions. Now it is being made publicly available, and developers are invited to contribute to the ever-growing list of trackers to further protect user privacy.
Search is down for Windows 10 users [Updated]

Microsoft's new Windows 10 search feature is just a way to force Bing and Edge on to users


Bing is a godawful search engine. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but on the few occasions when I do use it -- when writing about the new Chromium version of Edge for example -- I find the results it returns are rubbish. In a blind usage test I can instantly spot the difference between it and Google just by the quality -- or lack of -- of the results.
In what it describes as a bid to bring "convenient, fast web results directly to the search bar in Windows" Microsoft has baked (yet more) Bing searches into Windows 10, including a brand new visual search.
Google shares top Halloween costumes of 2019 based on search


Halloween used to be a day for children to collect candy and dress up in costumes, but lately, it seems like adults have hijacked the holiday. More and more grownups are dressing up in costumes -- a trend that is probably due in part to the popularization of nerd culture and events like Comic-Con. Hell, people are even dressing up their pets these days -- something I am guilty of. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wearing a costume and having fun, it is just an interesting change culturally.
This year Google is sharing the top Halloween costumes based on search. Personally, I like when Google provides information like this, because the true value in collecting data is being able to tell stories with it. With the search giant slurping up so much data, it would be tragic if it didn't conduct analysis.
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