Search engine Ask.com has unveiled a new look for its search results page in a bid to take on Google's dominance in the internet search market. Search results are now organised into three vertical panels across your computer screen.
The new look has been dubbed Ask 3D. A panel is highlighted on the far right of the screen where relevant photos and multimedia results, including video and music clips, can be played without having to leave the page.
This panel may also include news articles, weather reports, or blog snippets linked to your search. The information will be linked to the location of your computer, so local results will be displayed first.
The other two panels display navigation and suggestions on the left, with web results in the middle.
Convergence engine
"In some ways, we are becoming a convergence engine," said Jim Lanzone, Ask's chief executive. "We want to bring you the right information from the right source at the right time."
Ask.com has also created a new feature that will allow you to wrap your own digital photos around the primary search box and to further customise the background of the Ask.com homepage. Google began allowing similar decorations , known as 'skins', earlier this year.
Ask.com has struggled for years in the shadow of Google and Windows Live Search . According to research firm Hitwise, Google ranks up 79 per cent of all internet searches in the UK, while Ask.com has just under 5 per cent.
