Jeeves bites the dust

Well, maybe that's a bit unfair, but Jeeves is now no longer the mascot of the search engine ask.com. Ask.com has relaunched, now drawing particular attention to it's pre-existing extra services, such as MyStuff and it's recently acquired Bloglines online feed aggregator. From ask.com:

Ask Jeeves has re-launched as Ask.com. We hope you'll like our new and improved search engine.

We're no longer a site where you just have to ask questions; Ask.com gives you improved search technology and handy tools, together in a new look site. So you get whatever you are looking for faster.

• Related Search - Get to exactly what you want. Narrow your search. Or expand it. It's the quickest way to get what you're after.
• Binoculars - Save time by previewing sites before you get there – no clicking required
• Smart Answers - Skip the links and get right to the result for all sorts of topics like sports, movies, and the weather
• MyStuff - An easy way to save your search results and images all in one place Ask.com - Get to what you're looking for faster.

This page is all about what Jeeves might be doing in his retirement, including activities as outlandish as going on a space odyssey. I didn't think he had it in him!

On a serious note, it is interesting that Ask.com has decided that it is necessary to move away from the Jeeves brand. I suspect that a major reason behind the decision is a desire to remove the perception that Ask.com still works by you typing in a question and then Jeeves suggesting questions which you might like the answer to. This has not been the case for many years now, and it may be that this brand restructuring is intended to underline that fact, and to start to be seen as serious competition for the likes of Google and MSN.