What is Boopsie?
Boopsie is a mobile search provider. However, we like to call it mobile find - because Boopsie finds things, it doesn't search for them. The Boopsie client is a thin, yet powerful, layer between you and what you are trying to find. Boopsie does not 'contain' the data; it creates and uses special indexes to find the data on other content providers' sites. Boopsie Inc. is also the name of our company.
How much does Boopsie cost?
Boopsie is free to download and use.
What phones does Boopsie work with?
We have developed Boopsie clients for BREW, Blackberry, Java (J2ME), Palm OS, Symbian, Windows Mobile and iPhone. A list of compatible phones (grows daily) can be found here: http://boopsie.com/phones.html
How do I get Boopsie?
If you are using a Blackberry, Java, Palm OS, Symbian or Windows Mobile device, from the browser on your phone, go to http://boopsie.com/v2/. If you are using an iPhone, just point Safari to http://boopsie.mobi
I use a Verizon BREW phone. How do I get Boopsie?
Unfortunately, since Verizon's BREW phones require certification and to be downloaded off of the Verizon servers vs. from the Internet, Boopsie is not yet widely available for Verizon BREW phones.
Why would I use Boopsie vs. Google or Yahoo?
In short - you can type less using Boopsie. Boopsie uses a multi-prefix incremental search. Which basically means you can type the first few letters of your search terms. As you type letters, Boopsie is dynamically searching to find what you are typing - and showing answers in real-time. So, you get immediate feedback and Boopsie only lets you type something in the answer set. Once you see what you are looking for, you click on it and Boopsie links you to the appropriate web page. Google, Yahoo and others use a traditional form based search. You have to type the whole set of words you are looking for and then hit a Go or Submit button. Then, you have to do all the work to scroll and read through a bunch of potential answers - which is both tedious and unnecessary.
Boopsie solves two problems: 1) it allows you to type less, 2) the results displayed are exact matches in the answer set for the channel you've chosen. No extra scrolling or typing. Here's an interesting statistic for you: Out of 8.5 million references in Wikipedia, Boopsie can get to all entries in less than 10 keystrokes and 90% of them in less than 7 keystrokes. Think about that...
Why is Boopsie search different than traditional search?
We think people search in the 'real world' by category, then keywords; not by keywords alone. By starting with a specific category, the only thing you need to type is the name of what it is you are trying to find - the category search then shows you exactly what you are after; it doesn't show you a bunch of things that are not relevant to your search. For example, typing 'Football' or 'scores' or 'sports' into Boopsie will show you the categories with any of those words in them, like "NFL Sports Football Scores". You select that entry, then you can type 'Bears' and you'll get the Chicago Bears score. Typing 'Bears' into a traditional form based search will get you tons of things in which you aren't really interested. So, narrowing down the focus first to a category allows Boopsie to pinpoint exactly what you are after.
Why does Boopsie work so well?
There is a very cool interaction between your eyes and your brain that takes advantage of the way Boopsie searches for and presents data. You immediately know whether you are typing something correctly because you see the results as you type. You can also stop typing a word once you see it in the list, allowing you to move on to the next word.
Do I need a data plan?
Yes. You have to have a data plan to use Boopsie.
Do I need a high-speed data plan?
Sure doesn't hurt, but Boopsie works over any data connection - GPRS, EDGE, EVDO, WiFi, UMTS, HSPDA, 3G etc. If you can browse on your phone, you can most likely use Boopsie. Given the amount of data the Boopsie Services indexes, it is really amazing how fast Boopsie displays search results.
Does Boopsie search for WAP or mobile-friendly sites?
Yes, but Boopsie is not restricted to searching for WAP (or HTML for that matter) sites. We index lots of content that is already mobile friendly, or that we have made mobile friendly. So, when you search using Boopsie, it should look pretty good on your mobile phone.
I use CBS Sportsline's WAP application to find Basketball scores. Why would I use Boopsie?
Boopsie gives you direct access to the scores you want without navigating thru a bunch of menus. Type 'ba sco' and you'll get 'CBS Sportsline College Basketball Scores', select it and type 'pu' and you'll get the 'Purdue Boilermakers' box score - the exact same thing you would have gotten using Sportsline's WAP site, it's just faster to get there using Boopsie.
I use Wikipedia a lot. Should I use Boopsie to search for things on Wikipedia?
(loaded question) Yes! We've indexed all of the English Wikipedia site and can find over 90% of the entries in fewer than 7 keystrokes. For example, to find 'Carol Bayer Sager', just type 'ca ba s'. Her name will pop right up in the list - sure beats typing 'Carol Bayer Sager'.
Are you adding more categories to Boopsie's top search menu?
Yes we are. We are partnering with several of the large content providers to index their catalogs and make them available via Boopsie. They will show up automatically over time.
As you add more top-level categories to the Boopsie menu, won't it get hard to find things?
Oddly, no. Since we multi-prefix search our menu, it's just like searching anywhere else. You start typing your category and find it in the list - it's remarkably simple and effective.
I have a catalog of content I think people will find interesting. Can I publish my content for Boopsie to index it?
Yes, contact us at contact@boopsie.com.
Boopsie is a mobile search provider. However, we like to call it mobile find - because Boopsie finds things, it doesn't search for them. The Boopsie client is a thin, yet powerful, layer between you and what you are trying to find. Boopsie does not 'contain' the data; it creates and uses special indexes to find the data on other content providers' sites. Boopsie Inc. is also the name of our company.
How much does Boopsie cost?
Boopsie is free to download and use.
What phones does Boopsie work with?
We have developed Boopsie clients for BREW, Blackberry, Java (J2ME), Palm OS, Symbian, Windows Mobile and iPhone. A list of compatible phones (grows daily) can be found here: http://boopsie.com/phones.html
How do I get Boopsie?
If you are using a Blackberry, Java, Palm OS, Symbian or Windows Mobile device, from the browser on your phone, go to http://boopsie.com/v2/. If you are using an iPhone, just point Safari to http://boopsie.mobi
I use a Verizon BREW phone. How do I get Boopsie?
Unfortunately, since Verizon's BREW phones require certification and to be downloaded off of the Verizon servers vs. from the Internet, Boopsie is not yet widely available for Verizon BREW phones.
Why would I use Boopsie vs. Google or Yahoo?
In short - you can type less using Boopsie. Boopsie uses a multi-prefix incremental search. Which basically means you can type the first few letters of your search terms. As you type letters, Boopsie is dynamically searching to find what you are typing - and showing answers in real-time. So, you get immediate feedback and Boopsie only lets you type something in the answer set. Once you see what you are looking for, you click on it and Boopsie links you to the appropriate web page. Google, Yahoo and others use a traditional form based search. You have to type the whole set of words you are looking for and then hit a Go or Submit button. Then, you have to do all the work to scroll and read through a bunch of potential answers - which is both tedious and unnecessary.
Boopsie solves two problems: 1) it allows you to type less, 2) the results displayed are exact matches in the answer set for the channel you've chosen. No extra scrolling or typing. Here's an interesting statistic for you: Out of 8.5 million references in Wikipedia, Boopsie can get to all entries in less than 10 keystrokes and 90% of them in less than 7 keystrokes. Think about that...
Why is Boopsie search different than traditional search?
We think people search in the 'real world' by category, then keywords; not by keywords alone. By starting with a specific category, the only thing you need to type is the name of what it is you are trying to find - the category search then shows you exactly what you are after; it doesn't show you a bunch of things that are not relevant to your search. For example, typing 'Football' or 'scores' or 'sports' into Boopsie will show you the categories with any of those words in them, like "NFL Sports Football Scores". You select that entry, then you can type 'Bears' and you'll get the Chicago Bears score. Typing 'Bears' into a traditional form based search will get you tons of things in which you aren't really interested. So, narrowing down the focus first to a category allows Boopsie to pinpoint exactly what you are after.
Why does Boopsie work so well?
There is a very cool interaction between your eyes and your brain that takes advantage of the way Boopsie searches for and presents data. You immediately know whether you are typing something correctly because you see the results as you type. You can also stop typing a word once you see it in the list, allowing you to move on to the next word.
Do I need a data plan?
Yes. You have to have a data plan to use Boopsie.
Do I need a high-speed data plan?
Sure doesn't hurt, but Boopsie works over any data connection - GPRS, EDGE, EVDO, WiFi, UMTS, HSPDA, 3G etc. If you can browse on your phone, you can most likely use Boopsie. Given the amount of data the Boopsie Services indexes, it is really amazing how fast Boopsie displays search results.
Does Boopsie search for WAP or mobile-friendly sites?
Yes, but Boopsie is not restricted to searching for WAP (or HTML for that matter) sites. We index lots of content that is already mobile friendly, or that we have made mobile friendly. So, when you search using Boopsie, it should look pretty good on your mobile phone.
I use CBS Sportsline's WAP application to find Basketball scores. Why would I use Boopsie?
Boopsie gives you direct access to the scores you want without navigating thru a bunch of menus. Type 'ba sco' and you'll get 'CBS Sportsline College Basketball Scores', select it and type 'pu' and you'll get the 'Purdue Boilermakers' box score - the exact same thing you would have gotten using Sportsline's WAP site, it's just faster to get there using Boopsie.
I use Wikipedia a lot. Should I use Boopsie to search for things on Wikipedia?
(loaded question) Yes! We've indexed all of the English Wikipedia site and can find over 90% of the entries in fewer than 7 keystrokes. For example, to find 'Carol Bayer Sager', just type 'ca ba s'. Her name will pop right up in the list - sure beats typing 'Carol Bayer Sager'.
Are you adding more categories to Boopsie's top search menu?
Yes we are. We are partnering with several of the large content providers to index their catalogs and make them available via Boopsie. They will show up automatically over time.
As you add more top-level categories to the Boopsie menu, won't it get hard to find things?
Oddly, no. Since we multi-prefix search our menu, it's just like searching anywhere else. You start typing your category and find it in the list - it's remarkably simple and effective.
I have a catalog of content I think people will find interesting. Can I publish my content for Boopsie to index it?
Yes, contact us at contact@boopsie.com.