In an upgrade of its browsing companion software, Alexa Internet said today that its "surf engine" can now be installed as a new feature in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0. Alexa 2.0 is an add-on to IE 4.0, and as browsers surf, provides summary information about visited sites plus suggested related links. Alexa's technology recommends sites based on previous usage patterns, hyperlink information, and data collections from other sources. Alexa 2.0 appears as a toolbar in the IE browser frame and shows site information in the browser's "sidebar."
Included in Alexa's browsing information is the identity of the site's owner, how popular it is, and how many sites link to it. "Related Links," suggests similar sites to visit next. And using the company's massive Web archive, the software will let browsers call up missing Web pages. Earlier this month, Netscape said the service would be part of the Smart Browser technology debuting in Navigator 4.5.
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The "safer" Web search: Calling itself the first safe place to search the Web, search engine and Web portal Lycos (LCOS) has added an option to let parents and schools block searches for adult Web sites, as well as "hate and racist content." The so-called Lycos SafetyNet is the first free service, the company said, to filter out adult content from Web searches. SafetyNet is an optional, user-controlled service, Lycos said.
The feature is activated in browsers via the Lycos homepage and on all search results pages. It is deactivated (and reactivated) via a password. The service "suppresses" potentially offensive material, Lycos said, and elevates relevant sites. The service also lets users disable chat, email, and message-board features when it is activated.
Lycos said that while other Internet services offer safe searching only from areas designated for children or from an arbitrary list of selected sites, SafetyNet applies to general Web searching.
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__HP's Web image vision: __As part of a new program aimed at beefing up Web image management for ecommerce sites, Hewlett-Packard (HPSC) has rolled out new image-management software for Web sites. For users, HP says the software, called HP OpenPix ImageIgniter, lets customers better browse online catalogs by giving them control over viewing and printing of Internet images. A user can select a specific part of an image for viewing and can do so at a high resolution. These images will also print at a better quality than the typical Web image, HP says.
Web visitors can browse images faster, HP said, and zoom in for greater detail. These particular benefits are similar to those promised by John Sculley's Web imaging venture, Live Picture.
The product is part of HP's new "ImageIgnite Your Site" program, aimed at enhancing Web commerce by offering fast previewing of images, easier retrieval, streamlined image management, and photographic-quality printing. Businesses can use the technology to customize catalog pages for better viewing, HP says. OpenPix ImageIgniter also provides sites with imaging tracking and analysis tools, and works with all browser software. It's designed to work alongside Web publishing tools, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft's FrontPage, HP said.
