Cuil is a new search engine service set to rival Google, ironically created by a group of previous Google employees. The search service, pronounced ‘cool’, claims to index over 120 billion pages (which if I may say so myself, is a staggering amount). Various sources reckon this is almost 3 times as much as Google, however Google state otherwise, although not revealing any actual statistics.

Cuil approaches search slightly differently from Google. Firstly, search results are displayed in a magazine format as opposed to a list. But their real USP is that they don’t collect user data as Google does. This could be a point that sways many people, especially in light of the recent focus on the amount and methods Google use to gather data on it’s users.

But do we need Cuil? Search results differ from Google’s, naturally, but Google has always been there to provide a service that works whilst giving even more in return. It has advanced far beyond it’s original purpose and is now an integral part of the internet. I can check my search history to remember how I reached a certain page or image, check my emails, see how many times I’ve visited a particular site through Google, webmaster and analyse my site’s stats and much more.

So how can Cuil even claim to rival Google? It can’t, it can only rival it’s search functionality, and as far as I knew there was nothing about Google’s search that required rivaling.

Personally I feel that Cuil… just isn’t. The search algorithms may blow a hole in the internet - yes the results returned are very concise. So are Google’s. That’s it. The user interface is ugly, I just feel the blue, black and grey does not work. The name seems like some half-arsed late attempt to jump on the ‘web 2.0 misspelled word’ bandwagon (even though it’s apparently derived from the Gaelic for ‘knowledge’ and ‘hazel’), and the claims that ‘it does a better and more comprehensive job of indexing information online’ are quite bold. And regardless of if it’s true - does it matter if no-one uses the service?

But let’s not be hasty. I will continue to dabble with Cuil, to discover if there are any true benefits. With such a huge web index and a fantastic team of ex-Googlers managing - there’s definitely potential. But the real test will be whether it still stands in 2/3 years time.

For more information on Cuil check BBC Tech News or of course - Cuil itself!