John Battelle got it first(the story that is). A9–Amazon search product–just launched.
Battelle’s big question (a good one) is :” How will Google – and more broadly, the entire search-driven world – react?”
Battelle’s answer: “It seems to me, Google’s position in Amazon’s A9 implementation is at best a step backwards. If A9 is as good as it seems to be, every customer that uses and/or switches to A9 becomes an A9 search customer, and, more likely than not, a deeper and far more loyal Amazon customer. (The service incorporates a personal search history and many other really neat tweaks, including a wicked good Toolbar.) In essence, Amazon seems to be making a play for Google’s customers”
Battelle reader comments note that Safe Search seems to be permanently turned on(ouch), and that they may not be licensing the full Google data set.
Question: Will A9 show that fewer results-across a rich range of sources–may be better? Stay tuned–I am going to use it for the rest of the week.
Erik Benson’s got a good roundup, with comments on posts.