Yahoo Search Pad Streamlines Your Online Research
When we first saw Yahoo’s new online research tool Search Pad, we noted that it looked like an online researchers dream. Now the previously closed-to-most-of-the-public tool is available to all comers.
I’ve included the demo video above (it’s the same one we featured before) simply because it does such a bang-up job of walking through the app’s feature set. As you can see, the tool (built into Yahoo search) is designed to detect when you start researching a topic, then offers to keep track of your research for you. As you can tell from the video, Search Pad looks particularly well suited for trip planning.
Unfortunately I’m not having any luck getting Search Pad to spring into action on any of my searches yet (is there a way to use Search Pad without waiting for you to “notice” that I’m doing research, Yahoo?), but presumably it’ll roll out to everyone today. If you’ve got access and give it a go, let’s hear how you like it in the comments.
Unveiling Yahoo! Search Pad [Yahoo Search Blog]
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@rhaden: One way is to use Google Notebook, then download the Google Notebook extension for Firefox. ss4Gogeta mentioned it earlier in the comments (as a reply to the first comment).
Another option is zotero: [www.zotero.org]
@davers: ha. I actually have the iphone, and I do the 39 steps, and it pisses me off. :) That's the difference between a fanboy and a customer, I suppose.
azpat
I prefer the flexibility of OneNote. Plus using Yahoo reminds me of the '90s.
@joeny1980: Google already has this. I use Google Notebook addon for Firefox. It sits in the lower-right corner of the browser. Whenever you want to take notes, you just press the "clip" button. If you want to note a particular portion of the page, you select it and press the "clip" button. You can have different notebooks, and different sections within those and many notes in a section. Also supports labels/tags.
@azpat: so true.
Still though, fanboys are never really enough of a reason to hate or boycott the company they're obsessed with. I'd still buy an iPhone despite the constant fanboyism... if it was actually a good phone. At the moment it's an iPod with a few bits of average phone functionality, but it's taking a hell of a long time for people to realise.
davers
Do a search. On the results page, look at the right-hand column, right under the Yahoo logo. It shows the number of search results, your search terms, and a green checkbox showing the status of SearchScan, which, by default, is 'on'. Below that is a bar which allows you to view your notes. Now if they'd only decide whether they want to call it Search Pad or SearchScan.
siwasher
@skorned: I'll trade you some of my tinfoil for some of your Kool-Aid. ;)
lhed
@joeny1980:
Yeah, I don't care that it's Yahoo but I love that its anything but Google. Although, google will undoubtedly come out with their own version.
lhed
Seems to not work for me yet either, but looks like it will be cool when it does.
Mark Taylor
@Mike Gill: Can you share the details for Firefox?
@ashleyvh: Very relaxing voice. Probably half the charm of the Search Pad.
@Runnin-Ute: Excellent for lesson plans -- and I'm glad you said that. I rarely take the time to watch videos and rarely use Yahoo, so I'd have missed out if it hadn't been for your comment.
Thanks!
Google rocks...what's Yahoo?
[www.trainerpack.com]
Trainerpack
@undefined: Have you tried the Cache option of Google on the Yahoo site? Maybe that's a work-a-round...
mike-DE
@Leafy: similarly, follow these 39 easy steps to almost do xyz in (firefox/iphone) that you can do out-of-the-box in (opera/every other phone in the world).
azpat
@ashleyvh:
I was thinking he needed a few lessons in public speaking. He sounds too much like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite to me.
ahawks
If Google introduces -- yaay google has it first yahoo sucks.
If Yahoo introduces -- meh, i'll wait till it comes for google.
I use Yahoo simply because I'm tired of google fanboys...
Leafy
I think it looks really helpful.. Unfortunately, the search pad section doesn't show up on any of the yahoo searchs I do. I've tried logging in to my yahoo account and still nothing at all.. Really frustrating.. I thought this was open to everyone? I guess not!
Brian Jarvis
Looks really useful, but not enough to switch from Google. I hope Google comes up with something similar soon.
ya why hasn't google thought of this yet? although, despite a few tinfoil hat wearers might disagree with me, i think an independent app follow my research even more deeply, not just to results off a search engine, but any links i follow through that too. Searching through each and every browser history when you're not sure which term to search for and you regularly do research in 2-3 different browsers on each of two computers can be a real pain....many apps like this yahoo search pad have been built before, but i think this one is real neat coz of the great integration, and the automatic tracking of which site the info is from...
skorned
I've been trying to get this working for my job (instructional technology), but with no luck. So I guess they haven't rolled it out yet.
Looks like it does its job well. But, if you could start it without it having to recognize searches. There are extensions that do all of this and more for Firefox.
Mike Gill
@joeny1980:
Evernote provides very similar functionality (if not MORE advanced and streamlined) and can be used with any search engine.
ericesque
Is that guy's voice relaxing or what? If Yahoo have the same background music available while you take notes, it'll be a winner.
Looks interesting. I'll have to give it a whirl. Probably be valuable while preparing lesson plans.
Runnin-Ute
@joeny1980: you copy and paste into a google doc tab.
Looks great... but what's yahoo? How do you make this thing work on google. :)
joeny1980