Getting information in the era of Internet has become easy. With a click of the mouse, search engines provide what one looks for.

But how fast can one have the information?

Accoona Corp, a pioneer in the application of artificial intelligence to web search, may offer an approach.

The firm yesterday unveiled two new search functions which would improve the quality and relevance of Internet-based data search and retrieval.

The company's search engine portal has been enhanced to offer new functions tailored to meet the demands.

The "News" function enables users to instantly cross-refer their search keywords to a frequently used data-search categories.

The "Business" function enables users to cross-refer keywords to a broader database of business information, totaling more than 60 million businesses worldwide.

The News and Business function buttons enable users to instantly focus and refine the results presented to them with a simple mouse click.

"Henceforth Internet search will never be the same," said Eckhard Pfeiffer, Accoona chairman and former president and CEO of Compaq Computer Corp."With Accoona, high-quality and relevant results are delivered instantly, saving consumers and businesses time and money."

Pfeiffer and other Accoona executives said this at a press event hosted by Accoona at the United Nations.

Accoona also revealed that it would soon unveil a new model of online advertisement. Thousands of major advertisers and advertising agencies have already signed letters of intent to participate, according to Stuart Kauder, chief executive officer of Accoona.

"Our artificial intelligence capabilities enable us to offer advertisers a compelling and unique value proposition, in terms of matching search queries to their products and services," said Kauder.

Already one of the most frequently used search engines in China , Accoona has licensed its English search engine to Sina, China's leading online publisher and to Sohu, China's largest portal.

World chess champion Garry Kasparov, a shareholder and consultant, cites the application of artificial intelligence as a key advancement in web search technology. "After many high-profile battles with supercomputers, I am aware of the artificial intelligence component and the learning capabilities it enables," Kasparov said. "Accoona is the leader in combining artificial intelligence with effective Internet searches."

Based in Jersey City, Accoona is dedicated to enhancing the quality of online search by creating sophisticated artificial intelligence search technologies that provide users with a richer and highly relevant search experience.

(HK Edition 03/10/2006 page3)