Kartoo.com - Search the Web Visually

Kartoo revisits meta-searching with an advanced twist: a visual map of the search results. The User simply types their search query, as in any other search engine, and after a moment, the User is offered a flash-based word map of the results. Hovering over a result will indicate, by connecting lines, related results. On the same page, the left pane of the window will offer text detail and a home-page preview of the highlighted item. On the right, there is a space for “Sponsored” content related to the search.

“KartOO is a metasearch engine with visual display interfaces. When you click on OK, KartOO launches the query to a set of search engines, gathers the results, compiles them and represents them in a series of interactive maps through a proprietary algorithm”

This site offers a smooth experience from "start to search result" with a pleasant visual interface and relevant results. While this idea is not new, it is slickly executed here. If it cannot replace a text based search engine in terms of speed, it´s advanced presentation of results might appeal to the more serious researcher or the bored and curious.

Will Users find the sharp-edged graphics “old-fashioned” compared to the perfectly bubbly current ideals? While flash is much less of an impediment with abundant cheap broadband, will this requirement for the visual results turn some users away?