Oingo
Oingo's strength is its ability to zero in on what you're really looking for. Say you're looking for Java, the Indonesian island. Type in "Java" on most engines and you'll likely be at sea yourself. For most search terms, however, Oingo provides drop-down boxes (multiple boxes for multiple terms) to help clarify what you're looking for: coffee, a programming language, a breed of chicken, or one of several U.S. cities.
Like NBCi and Yahoo!, Oingo has its own directory of Web pages, and when you search with Oingo, it returns a column of directory matches and a column of Web page matches provided by AltaVista. This display, although well intended, seems cluttered. You see the page title and summary, where available -- but no URL. You get a lightbulb icon when Oingo believes it has matched not just your search terms but the actual concept you're after.
Oingo handled our natural-language queries relatively well, missing only the "What does WAP stand for?" query. Simple and complex multiword queries returned very good results, and Oingo did not miss a single home page target.
Direct Link: Oingo
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