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April 1, 2005

Ask Jeeves Unveils Jeeves900 Search Robot

We've long written about everything there is to know about search, including the concept of humanoid search robots that could help you find things in the "real" world as easily as you can locate things on the web. Now Ask Jeeves is finally rolling out the first workable product, The Jeeves9000.

The Future of Search Arrives: Introducing The Jeeves9000 on the Ask Jeeves Blog describes how the new $400 product will work to organize your life.

I'm a bit dubious about the tagging feature. One advantage is that the product will work from a defined set of tags, rather than a mishmash of conflicting terms that a community has created.

However, in the real world, tagging has long been associated with what some consider vandalism. While the robot currently works with removable materials just as Post-It notes, it's inevitable that someone will eventually equip it with a can of spray paint.

Want to discuss? Join our forum thread on the topic. Also see our compilation of search stories issued on this special day.

Posted by Danny Sullivan on April 1, 2005 7:48 AM