A9.com Launches New Web Site To Make Internet Search More Effective
Palo Alto, CA – September 15, 2004 – A9.com, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), today launched A9.com (www.a9.com) to make searching the Internet more effective. The new site, which builds on a beta test version that began earlier this year, helps users discover information from several different sources, makes it easy to manage and organize their search results, and remembers what they have done in the past.
A9.com offers users search results from five powerful information sources, which are presented through convenient selectable and adjustable columns: Web and image search provided by Google, book text of more than 100,000 titles from Amazon.com’s Search Inside The Book™, movie information from the Internet Movie Database, and reference information (encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.) through GuruNet.com. Additionally, A9.com is a search engine with a memory as it returns results from the user’s information, so with every search, users will see results from their own history, bookmarks, and diary.
“A9.com gives people an incredible amount of power for discovering information from diverse and comprehensive data sources and managing that information effectively and easily,†said Amazon.com CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos. “The search landscape is evolving at such a rapid pace that we must continue working hard to build innovative technologies that offer a great user experience.â€
Every time a user returns to A9.com and is signed in to their account, the site recognizes them, remembers what they searched in the past and displays features that help them manage and organize their information. A9.com was specifically designed to be at its best when combined with the A9 Toolbar, which is easy to download from a convenient link located in the upper right corner of the A9.com site. With the toolbar running, A9.com users can quickly find any site they have ever visited – in addition to their previous searches.
The following features help A9.com users effectively manage their online search:
1. Search History is stored and displayed to users anytime they are signed-in either from home or from work. Users can view and edit past search results and sites they’ve visited by clicking on Search History on the A9 Toolbar or through an adjustable column on the main page. Site History tells users if and when they previously visited a listed site. Users can even search their own history, finding sites they have visited any time in the past.
A9’s Diary allows users to record, save and reference notes about any Web page they visit. Entries are automatically saved when a user finishes typing, and can be easily searched from the A9.com site or the A9 Toolbar.
2. Bookmarks can be set by users to mark their favorite web sites, and view them from work or from home. These links are viewable through an adjustable column on the main A9.com page or on the A9 Toolbar. Bookmarks can be set using the A9 Toolbar or through dragging a link from one of the search results columns and dropping onto the Bookmarks button on the right side of the main A9.com page.
3. Lists—new to the A9 Toolbar-enables users to browse search results or other lists of links with a single click on a forward or back arrow, eliminating the inconvenience of returning back to the original site to find and click on the next link. Users can also create and save lists of their favorite sites under a particular heading for convenient, regular browsing.
4. Drag and drop convenience allows users to easily drag and drop any item from search results, bookmarks, and history entries into their bookmark column, as well as organizing the bookmarks themselves through drag and drop. Users can even drag and drop any item into the search box.
5. Discover, a new feature still in beta, presents the user with both recommended sites based on their own surfing history as well as different views of their history, such as most-frequently visited sites. A9.com will be testing new Discover features and making changes to recommendations based on user feedback.
“Search has become an integral part of many people’s work,†said A9.com CEO Udi Manber. “We strive to extend current search tools by helping people not only discover information easily, but also remember and manage that information.â€
About A9.com
A9.com, Inc., a separately branded and operated subsidiary of Amazon.com, opened its Palo Alto, California office in October 2003 to research and build innovative search technologies.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, kids and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon.com operates seven websites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com, which is operated in cooperation with affiliates.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, commercial agreements and strategic alliances, seasonality, potential fluctuations in operating results and rate of growth, foreign exchange rates, management of potential growth, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, fulfillment center optimization, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and all subsequent filings.
# # #
For further information, please contact:
E-mail: media@a9.com
Media Phone Number: 206-266-7180