Ask Sans Butler

IAC’s Ask.com has launched the new, clean version of their site sans butler today. New features include:

• A new homepage design
• The Ask.com Toolbox, a new feature on the homepage that provides shortcuts to more than 20 search tools
• New and improved Maps and Driving Directions
• Encyclopedia search
• Web-based Desktop search

The “edit tools” feature is pretty slick actually.

Requisite press release quote:

“Today’s launch is a pivotal moment in our history, ensuring a well-known and much-loved search engine continues at the forefront of the evolution of the Internet search market,” concluded Lanzone. “With the new Ask.com, coupled with the backing of our parent company IAC/InterActiveCorp, we have developed a platform for the future of search where new search tools and content will be increasingly integrated within the search engine to meet consumer demand.”

This is a good move for Ask.com. While Google is doing no evil (right) and Yahoo is doing it’s media thing and Microsoft is playing catchup, Ask.com continues to focus on making itself better. Not that the other engines aren’t doing that too, but Ask.com seems to be less distracted.