Ask.com unveils new local search

Ask.com is set to unveil on Monday a new local search service that lets people find maps, directions, businesses, events and movies--all through one interface.

The service, called AskCity, integrates data from other Web properties owned by InterActiveCorp, including Citysearch.com for business reviews, TicketMaster for event tickets, ReserveAmerica for campground reservations, Fandango for movie ticket purchases and OpenTable.com for restaurant reservations.

Users can narrow their restaurant searches by cuisine type, neighborhood, street name or zip code, as well as book a reservation through the site and send information to a phone. Users can also plot out routes to multiple destinations, make annotations directly on the map, save it and e-mail to others.

"This is the first time we've done a real integrated channel with Ask and other IAC properties," said Doug Leeds, vice president of products at Ask.com.

The service is launching as competition with other search engines on mapping features heats up. The search site will eventually integrate data from other IAC properties such as Evite, Match.com and RealEstate.com, and further down the road, Gifts.com, Leeds said.



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