Searchme Launches Private Beta of New Visual Search Engine

Site Helps Users Search More Quickly by Dividing Results into Categories,
Showing Results as Pictures of Web Pages Before You Click Through

Searchme, Inc. announced today that it is launching the private beta of its new search engine. Developed with Adobe® Flex 3® software in collaboration with Adobe, Searchme’s engine delivers results as a browsable stack of “pages” – pictures of actual web pages that users can check out before visiting them. Searchme also suggests categories to users as they type in search terms, providing shortcuts to the best results. Users can request an invitation to participate in the beta at www.searchme.com.

“This beta marks our first step towards creating a new and different way to search the Web,” said Randy Adams, Searchme CEO. “Searchme’s interface takes advantage of the size and bandwidth of today’s Internet and the increasingly visual way that we all interact online. Searchme’s engine, built from the ground up, utilizes proprietary technology optimized for category suggest, visual search, speed and relevancy. We will continue to refine our relevance, performance and coverage with the goal of creating a search engine that is easy and fun to use, on a laptop or a big screen.”

“The Searchme visual search engine, which leverages the power and ubiquity of Adobe Flash™ software and Adobe Flex, is an innovative rich Internet application that could help fundamentally change the Internet search experience,” said Chris Rogers, West Region Leader, Adobe Consulting at Adobe. “It’s more than a slick UI; it’s an engaging search experience that emphasizes relevance and usability to help users more easily find what they’re looking for on the Web.”

How It Works

As a user starts typing, category icons appear that relate to her search. She types “bonds”, for example, and Searchme suggests “savings” or “stocks” or “baseball”, among others. She then chooses a category, and sees pictures of the web pages that match her search. She can now review these pages quickly to find the right one before clicking through, and then go to the site that best suits her needs.

The new Searchme application was created in cooperation with Adobe Consulting, a service group of Adobe experts from the company’s user-experience, technology and project management practices. Adobe Consulting offers customers and partners thought-leadership, best practices and unparalleled expertise in building great digital experiences.

About Searchme

Searchme is a new way to search the Web that uses patented visual search and category suggest features to deliver relevant, meaningful results faster, to every kind of Internet user. Searchme was founded in 2005 by Randy Adams, CEO, and John Holland, CMO. The company received initial funding from Sequoia Capital. To request a beta invitation, please visit www.searchme.com. For logos, images and web/broadcast material, please visit www.searchme.com/press.

© 2008 Searchme is a trademark of Searchme, Inc. All rights reserved. Adobe, Flex and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.