Powerset takes a tilt at Google crown

18th September 2007

Creating a search engine to rival or even outdo the seemingly unstoppable Google is something of a holy grail for many competitors.

Lots of attempts to wrest the title from Google have been made in the past, but the latest challenger has excited genuine interest.

Powerset has been two years in the making and was unveiled recently to a trade fair in the US.

Business Week says the search engine is likely to be "closely watched" while the Associated Press (AP) notes that Google has been investing a lot of money into attempting to improve its search functions recently.

Powerset chief executive Barney Pell told the AP that Google is currently "the king" of search engines but added "we think they have plateaued".

According to Associated Press, Google has increased its market share over the past three years, despite strong opposition.

It now processes more than half of all search engine enquiries made.