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Yahoo Unveils New Streamlined Search

Yahoo has unveiled streamlined new search functionality, in an apparent bid to win back searchers from rival and business partner Google. 

With a tag line of "Faster, Easier, Smarter", the new Yahoo! Search even looks like Google, with an uncluttered interface, a tab menu for various searching modes, cached search results and a new image search tool. They've even created a downloadable Yahoo Search Toolbar.

"To accomplish this, we have built a world-class team and search organization, dramatically improved the quality of our search results, and acquired Inktomi, a leading search technology provider."

Features of the new Yahoo Search include: 

- Cleaner, Easier-To-Use Page Design: A redesigned look and feel with a
cleaner, easier-to-navigate interface. Includes an extended search box,
improved and more accessible related searches on targeted queries to help
users refine their search, a simple horizontal search tab menu to search the
Web, Directory, News, Yellow Pages and Yahoo!'s new Image Search, clearer
demarcation of page sections, and reduced dependency on graphical ads and
overall greater relevancy of ads and sponsored results. 

- Shortcuts to Information: Searches for maps, yellow pages, weather, news
and dictionary definitions return answers more quickly than ever before. For
example, typing in an address will produce a map of the location within the
search results page in addition to Web results related to that area.

- Search Start Page (http://search.yahoo.com): Designed to complement the
Yahoo! home page, which continues to be one of the highest trafficked search
destinations online, the dedicated Yahoo! Search start page gives consumers
a clean and centralized place to find search-oriented content. 

- Customized Search Preferences: Search in over 30 different languages,
choose the number of results displayed per page, open search results in a
new window and more. In addition, users can now save their preferences
through their Yahoo! ID to use Yahoo! Search the way they want from any
computer. 

- Enhanced Yahoo! Companion (http://companion.yahoo.com/): Yahoo! Companion,
a search toolbar that enables users to use Yahoo Search from any browser,
includes new search features such as the ability to search within a web site
and highlight search terms on the page. 

- Additional advanced features: Access to cached search results, new icon
next to each search result link for the option to open a new window, ability
to narrow searches by domain, update time, country and more. 

You can take a tour of the new features here.