A lot has been said about this new engine. The first thing you must realize if you are going to give it a try is that it is not really a search engine.
It is a different entity altogether; it is something named a “computation engine”. In theory, it will let you input a question or a calculation and then it will compute an answer for you on the spot.
For example, if you input “Population Japan/China” you are presented with percentages and graphs, and if you enter any math formula or calculation the same will be resolved in front of your eyes. On the other hand, you can key in questions like “When was Cameron Crowe born?” or “Where is Osaka?” and the relevant answers will be produced, accompanied by maps and charts. The site also includes a visual gallery of examples for you to learn the ropes quite quickly, as the site you can visit right now is just a taster of things to come, and many aspects are yet to be ironed. Wolfram Research hopes to enhance not just the computation and the linguistics themselves but also the presentation of the site.
The ultimate objective of the team behind it is to create a knowledge engine that will be usable by people from all professions and education levels whatsoever. Judging by what the site already has on offer, it is already headed down the right path. Let’s see which updates are forthcoming, and when.
WolframAlpha.com In Their Own Words
“Wolfram|Alpha’s long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. We aim to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything. Our goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.
Wolfram|Alpha aims to bring expert-level knowledge and capabilities to the broadest possible range of people—spanning all professions and education levels. Our goal is to accept completely free-form input, and to serve as a knowledge engine that generates powerful results and presents them with maximum clarity.
Wolfram|Alpha is an ambitious, long-term intellectual endeavor that we intend will deliver increasing capabilities over the years and decades to come. With a world-class team and participation from top outside experts in countless fields, our goal is to create something that will stand as a major milestone of 21st century intellectual achievement.”
Why WolframAlpha.com It Might Be A Killer
The featured algorithms are impressive to say the least. It is evident that this technology has been under development for many years now, and it might just stand as the shape of things to come.
Some Questions About WolframAlpha.com
Does such an engine have a real competitor in today’s market, or is it carving a whole path of its own? 
