Cuil has announced an interesting new map-based tool called Maplines. On some queries, the Mapline shows in the right column of Cuil’s search results above the Timeline feature.

What’s a Mapline. Here’s Cuil’s explanation: “Just as our Timelines show a concept across time, our Maplines show a concept across a map.”

It’s an interesting idea, but seems to be poorly executed. The Mapline on a search for John Legend, for example, shows a random assortment of places that the singer has performed in the past — certainly not a complete list. The Mapline on a search for Seattle Mariners includes the locations where many current and former players were born.

What would be more useful on queries like these would be to show a map of John Legend’s upcoming tour dates, or a map of upcoming Seattle Mariners games. It’s an interesting idea, though, but one that needs more refinement.

Related Topics: Search Engines: Cuil

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