IAC Asks for a Second Chance

Users searching for "Bill Gates," for example, will find the usual search queries returned by most search engines -- but also two innovative new result panels.

The left panel shows additional queries available for users to further hone their searches. There are tabs for drilling down not only into Gates' biography, but one that answers the question of "how much money does Bill Gates have."

Users are even pointed to "related names" tags that feature Apple(AAPL Quote) head and longtime rival Steve Jobs. The right-hand side, meanwhile, instantly brings up images, video and news listings about the Microsoft chairman.

The service also has some clever features. For example, users can see their search queries completed in full as they type them out. That helps avoid the hassle of misspelling an entry and having to launch the search again. Scrolling over an image with a mouse pops out the image in an enlarged form.

Ask3D anticipates where search has been heading. In May, Google launched a universal search service that also ties in search results from categories like news, videos and images.

But Ask3D presents its search results in a much more organized and accessible manner than Google, which tends to dump a mix of results on users. Moreover, the mild hand-holding that Ask3D indulges in by giving users a framework for results and suggestions can be a big help in getting to the answers of the most frequent search queries.