I ran across
this article and I was so impressed with the possibilities that I actually purchased the Mac preview version of
Grokker at a special offer price. Mac users who purchase the preview get a free upgrade to the upcoming Grokker 2.
In a nutshell, this new type of software/website creates order out of the chaos that are the search results garnered from your typical web search.
$50 might seem like a lot to many people when search engines are free. But when you do as much web-based research as I do and are forced to cope with the huge number of hits produced by Google and other websites, an application that categorizes and simplifies a web search is a downright miracle.
Grokker goes a step further and can do similar tricks with data on your harddrive and local network. Filtering allows a user to fine-tune all manner of data searches.
A similar but free web-based service can be found at
Vivisimo. Grokker presents search result categories in a neat graphic interface, while Vivisimo uses a linked list within your browser.
I have just begun playing with Grokker, and so far I am impressed with the usefulness of the program when compared to the results of a typical Google search. The current set of plug-ins for the Mac version are somewhat limited, but the Mac version of Grokker 2 will include more plug-ins, including one for Amazon.com. The Grokker developers promise releases of additional plug-ins for the app, including a plug-in developed in cooperation with Google.
Mac Folks can sign-up for a soon-to-come Mac free preview version. Me? I couldn't wait.
