Posted on 12/06/2004 9:04:42 PM PST by quantim
NEW YORK (AP) Former president Bill Clinton on Monday helped launch a new Internet search company backed by the Chinese government which says its technology uses artificial intelligence to produce better results than Google Inc.
"I hope you all make lots of money," Clinton told executives at the launch of Accoona Corp., which donated an undisclosed amount to the William J. Clinton Foundation.
The Chinese government, one of several large backers, has granted Accoona a 20-year exclusive partnership with the China Daily Information Co., the government agency that runs an official Chinese and English Web site.
The deal gives Accoona data on some 5 million Chinese companies, which Accoona sees as a lucrative opportunity as U.S. businesses seek to do business in China ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The new company's executives include chairman Eckhard Pfeiffer, the former chief executive of Compaq Corp., and Stuart Kauder, a former business development director at online advertising company DoubleClick Inc.
Accoona takes its name from the Swahili phrase, "accoona matata," for "no worries," popularized by Disney's film, "The Lion King."
The company seeks to distinguish itself from Google, Yahoo Inc. and growing list of other search engine players by using artificial intelligence to make the results more relevant, said Pfeiffer. Unlike traditional search engines that seek specific "keyword" matches, Accoona will access Web pages that may have no exact keyword matches but are still relevant to the query, he explained.
"Accoona's artificial intelligence technology will elevate search engine performance to a new unprecedented level, allowing the most relevant search available today," Pfeiffer said.
Coffee Annon better get canned.
We now know who the ChiComs were rooting for on November 2nd.
Strange site. The "About Us" page sounds like it's written by an Asian, and when I try to "submit a site" it starts up my email program and tries to send an email from me.
Who in the world is going to trust a search engine that's being managed/filtered by Communist China? Very surreal.
Who?
Initials = J.K.
Who is that?
Jonh Kerry mebbe?
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/aa?subid=515346
John Battelle's Searchblog
I was going to stay away from posting today, and focus on writing. But I passed my daily word count already, so here's a treat. Eckhard Pfeiffer, who ran Compaq but was run out on a rail in 1999, is coming back to Chair a business search engine, Accoona.
Now, let's remember, this is the same fellow who engineered the purchase of Alta Vista, then demanded it come public within six months. His lieutenant then drove Alta Vista into portaldom, and ultimately, into the arms of CMGI, which then imploded.
In my interviews with Louis Monier and others, I was painted quite a picture of Compaq under Pfeiffer. As I recall, Monier called them "gunslingers" who had "no idea what they were doing."
Apparently, Pfeiffer has learned a thing or two. Maybe he's trying to take a page from Eric Schmidt's playbook - run a lumbering IT giant (in Schmidt's case, Novell), then suprise the world by going to a small internet search startup. Only, Eric joined after Google was profitable, and he didn't wait five years....Anyway. Should be interesting.
From what I could find on Accoona (note the logo has the "infinity" symbol, I guess that's larger than googol), the company has some kind of deal with China (hot!) and uses proprietary AI techniques (so far, no so hot!). More :
Accoona is a New Jersey-based internet company devoted to making it easier for people to find information on the Web. Accoona has pioneered an innovative search engine that makes use of artificial intelligence to understand the meaning of words. Accoonas Artificial Intelligence Search Technology enables you to highlight key words, SuperTargeting your results and delivering you the pages most relevant to that search term. Accoonas search engine does not overlook Web pages that contain relevant information but happen not to use the precise key words you enter.
On March 1, 2005, Accoona will introduce an artificial-intelligence toolbar that lives unobtrusively on the desktop. The toolbar will allow users to search the Web intelligently as well as to search the documents on their computer. Say you want to locate an old e-mail but cant remember the senders name or the precise topic, even if you provide only a vague description, the Accoona Artificial Intelligence Search Technology will find the e-mail. The Accoona toolbar is your personal librarian.
ACCOONA'S MISSION
Accoona Corp.s mission is:
To revolutionize how people find information on the Web, through a new search engine powered by artificial intelligence that understands the meanings of words.
To provide the largest proprietary online database of information on companies worldwide.
To facilitate foreign companies doing business in China and Chinese companies expanding into the global marketplace.
Accoona is launching worldwide on December 6, 2004.
"Bill Clinton helps launch search engine"Probably has some sort of special skirt chasin' feature to it, huh ?? :^O
Reagan got unshirted hell from the media for a paid appearance in Japan.
Who is that?
No, but it's hard on your browser.
This guy is so bought!
One wonders what else it does????
OK, I finally got it. LoL!
I was prepared to work with you all day!
My medicine wore off.
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