Yahoo! Introduces Desktop Search Beta

By Ian Bell Published January 11, 2005

Yahoo! has unveiled the Yahoo! Desktop Search application now available as a beta release at http://desktop.yahoo.com. The free downloadindexes the information and content users have on their computer — emails, attachments, documents, music, images, videos, and more — making it easy to search for almost anything on their harddrive. With support for over 200 file types and instantaneous search results, Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is one of the most powerful and comprehensive desktop search offerings available today.

Yahoo! Desktop Search Delivers Leading Functionality

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Leveraging award-winning technology developed by X1 Technologies, Inc., Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta delivers powerful search functionality not available from most other desktop search products on the market today, including:

— The most comprehensive search results spanning over 200 different file types including Outlook and Outlook Express Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, html, text, ZIP, mp3, and more

— Instantaneous search results displayed as fast as a user types in a search query

— A preview window that enables users to view entire files within Yahoo! Desktop Search without opening them

— Advanced privacy controls that ensure Web browser cache and history are not searchable

— The ability to find and play audio or video files without launching a separate media player

“The launch of Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta further demonstrates our commitment to creating the best search experience for users,” said Jeff Weiner, senior vice president of Yahoo! Search and Marketplace. “We believe that searching the desktop is an important part of the broader search experience and will serve as the platform to provide unique, search-enabled applications that span the user’s hard drive, the Yahoo! network and the Web.”

The introduction of Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is the first of many planned product releases designed to help users save time and be more productive by creating a single search experience that enables them to access personally relevant information and content stored on their desktop and in the Yahoo! network.

To provide users with the most compelling desktop search offering on the market, Yahoo! has partnered with X1 Technologies, a recognized leader in the desktop search space. The collaboration enables Yahoo! to deliver a free, award-winning desktop search solution to Yahoo!’s massive audience of more than 160 million registered users.

“We are pleased to work with Yahoo! on powering their desktop search initiative,” said Josh Jacobs, president, X1 Technologies. “In partnership with Yahoo!, we can ensure that the largest audience on the Web can take advantage of this technology while businesses, both large and small, can turn to X1 for enterprise desktop search solutions.”

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