Blinkx Review

BLINKX -- This little search utility quickly downloads, installs, and watches. Although its results lack the authority of a more comprehensive Google search, its results provide more reach than Google because you can see local documents, weblogs and content not normally among the top 20 results in a Google search. When you visit a page related to a news item or a web reference, a small icon in the upper right hand corner of your screen glows red or blue respectively. But I did not get the same effective response from the local (hard drive) search icon since I store most of my stash on removeable media.

When Blinkx scouts for information, it uses an algorithm unlike the PageRank Algo in Google. Consequently, the results are purely link-based and that serves up some offering from the C-List of credibility.

The local search option is neutered as well. It cannot find data on external hard drives or networked locations. In fact, it did not find related information on my primary hard drive until I set it up folder by folder. But it's only in beta.

Later editions promise search into 200 media types, such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents, attachments to e-mails, Acrobat PDF files and even rich media clips.

For the moment, it's interesting to use Blinkx as a "related links" viewpoint. But if you're serious about following extended conversations across the Internet, you need to ocntinue memorising Google syntax to get the job done right. It can quickly search your files when you highlight a phrase. For someone who does not operate with a search program (like askSam) running all the time, it's fast but without a commercial imperative. That's because Blinkx does not return consistent results for searches related to highlighted words. Its web search and news search entertains more than informs. You might get more results for the time spent with this search strategy:

1. Use Simpy to trawl your bookmarks.
2. If no results are found, execute searches with Google, Vivisimo, AllTheWeb, Yahoo, and Teoma.
3. Search local stash with askSam.

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Blinkx -- free download that promises it's not spyware.
Om Malik -- "blinkx blinkx"
Slashdot -- "Blinkx and you'll miss it"
Paul Rowlingson -- "blinkx 0.3.98"
John Batelle -- "Blinkx to launch"
Patrick O'Beirne "won't be giving up Wilbur from redtree.com anytime soon."
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Comments

[Mark]

They do say they only have 10% of the web so far, so you probably have to give it some time to judge web results but the linking is awesome and it was great on my harddrive.

[Patrick O'Beirne]

I can't see HD results.
My review is at
http://www.sysmod.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi?Bernie

[Bernie Goldbach]

I couldn't see the HD results and found that a composite of Google-Alexa-Vivisimo gave me better intelligence than the standalone Blinkx information. I'm happy with askSam taking stock of my hard drive. Considering these things, I pulled Blinkx from my computer after three weeks of occasional use.

[Mark]

You couldn't see the HD results? That's strange.... are you sure you tried the latest versions coz it seems pretty good to me and the linking is something really special.

[dickm]

I found your review on Blinkx...I'm no expert like you lot and I installed it only after it was brought to my attention by a friend you saw it in the Mail on Sunday and liked it. I find it really useful, I can suddenly find all my files and email and I wnader around the net from page to paqge follwoing the links. Perhaps you folks are too clever for this but for me its great, you all seem a bit harsh on something new and a bit different...open minds now!