KEY POINTS:
An internet browser feature, or 'plug-in', developed by a New Zealand company aims to improve on something we're all familiar with - a typical Google search.
VortexDNA, a Christchurch technology company, claim to have developed a plug-in to the Firefox browser that can improve the relevance of Google search results. And they're looking for thousands of volunteer web-searchers to give it a free trial.
Called MyWebDNA, the plug-in can be downloaded from the VortexDNA website free of charge. Once installed, MyWebDNA circles the two most relevant Google search results in the same way you might circle something that interests you in a newspaper.
"Google has enormous reach – returning thousands of search results in a fraction of a second. We want to highlight the results most relevant to you," explained VortexDNA director Raf Manji.
The user's personal search 'DNA' is created by answering a few short questions as the plug-in installs into Firefox. It can be updated at any time by logging into the VortexDNA website.
The company believes this connection will enhance the Google experience.
"It's early days yet," said Branton Kenton-Dau, the other director of the company. "We need 80,000 searches before we will know for certain how well MyWebDNA is improving your Google search."
It's not known at this stage how Google itself will react to this piece of kiwi ingenuity which taps into their iconic web interface.
- NZHERALD STAFF
