InfoSpace Introduces New Local Search Site with Focus on High Relevancy and Personalization
Written by InfoSpace
Friday, 31 March 2006
Launch Includes Timely Information and Ability to Search by Neighborhoods, Landmarks, Points-of-Interest
BELLEVUE, Wash., Mar 27, 2006 InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP), a leader in online and mobile search, today announced the launch of InfoSpace Local, a new local search Web site which allows consumers to find highly relevant listings including neighborhood businesses, white pages listings, event information, maps, directions, and useful Web pages. The site also features multiple keyword searching, time-based results such as movies and events, and a send-to-mobile feature which allows users to send information to their handsets, creating continuity between their online and mobile experiences. The new service, currently in beta, is available at local.infospace.com.
InfoSpace also announced the launch of InfoSpace Find It!(TM) with Sprint Nextel. The industry's first comprehensive local-based search product for mobile phones, InfoSpace Find It! allows consumers to easily and quickly find everything from nearby restaurants and movie times to people, maps and driving directions all in one integrated application. Both InfoSpace Local and InfoSpace Find It! demonstrate the Company's commitment to providing the highest-quality local search experience online and on mobile devices.
"InfoSpace's new local search services are the result of extensive research on user preferences and experiences from online and mobile devices," said Rod Diefendorf, vice president of online and local search. "InfoSpace Local and InfoSpace Find It! meet the consumer demand for more personalized and relevant local information and helps consumers easily and quickly discover things to do around where they are or will be."
InfoSpace Local breaks out of the limitations of city, state or zip code search by allowing users to personalize their searches according to their neighborhood, a landmark or a point-of-interest. It also allows users to do more targeted searches using multiple keywords. For example, users searching for a hotel that has a fitness center simply enter the keywords (hotel and fitness center), and a location -- perhaps a landmark -- in order to receive a comprehensive list of hotels with fitness centers near a certain landmark. Each result displays highlighted keywords to indicate its relevancy to the search and each result is accompanied by contact information including an address, phone, maps and directions, and the ability to send the contact information to a mobile phone.
To deliver the most relevant local search results, InfoSpace Local searches its comprehensive business listings, which have been augmented with product, service, movie and event information drawn from a wide variety of databases such as the yellow pages, newspapers and other sources. Additionally, InfoSpace leverages its proprietary metasearch technology to search the Web and return the most relevant local results to a user's query. Altogether, InfoSpace Local is able to deliver an enhanced local search experience that connects users to the local information they need.
About InfoSpace
InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP) drives mobile media innovation. With one of the world's largest mobile content libraries, InfoSpace makes it easy for consumers to discover, personalize and enjoy their on-the-go experiences. The company uses its superior discovery, merchandising and technology capabilities to help facilitate the delivery of original and licensed content across hundreds of mobile devices and through multiple channels. InfoSpace also mobilizes brands and creates programming and revenue opportunities for mobile operators. The company's products and services have extensive reach in North America and Europe through carriers such as Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Virgin Mobile; in partnership with world-class brands such as Cablevision and Fox News; and through online Web sites such as Dogpile (Dogpile.com), which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology and key advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, Verizon SuperPages and Yellowpages.com. More information can be found at www.infospaceinc.com.
this release contains forward-looking statements regarding InfoSpace, Inc.'s new local search site and InfoSpace Find It!. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include the scope and timing of market acceptance of the applications and features of InfoSpace Local and InfoSpace Find It!. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled, "Risk Factors." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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