by John DeWitt
A
review of
both of these products is combined in this review, as both are
interrelated and any user will find both products helpful in
completing any research on the web. This program uses multiple
search engines to query results, and filters and summarizes the
information, thus avoiding a lot of clicking and checking multiple
sites.
More specifically the programs use more than 130 plug-ins for
search engines, scientific databases, and other powerful research
tools. The programs provide a very simplified search for the user,
yet providing one of the most complex relevant search tools to do
complex searches. More specifically, the programs allows the user
to define his/her own search sets, which includes options for which
search engines to query, what type of content to search, how deep
into a Web site’s link hierarchy you want to look, and whether you
want to filter our repetitive or irrelevant material.
The results that are generated are in either Pages or Digest, The
Pages view lists all of the page results, ranked by relevance, and
lets you click on each page in order to read a summary of it. The
Digest view presents a list of key words the program finds in the
research results. In addition, the program provides a visualizer,
in which a map is displayed with the main topic in the center, with
related topics grouped around it like a constellation. The size and
color of the circles representing the topics indicate the degree to
which topics relate to each other, and when you select a new topic,
the constellation refocuses.
In addition to these great features, Devon provides an Objects
drawer, which lists items by content type, and similar to Safari,
the user can define live queries that can run unattended, and
automatically notify the user of new results via email.
In summary, whatever you want to know, has probably been written
about and is waiting to tell you all about it. Unfortunately, that
knowledge has been scattered; it's hiding in plain sight, amidst
all the other Internet content clamoring for your attention.
DEVONagent searches intelligently so that you don't have to, and
presents the results with crystal clarity, slicing through the murk
of the Internet, showing you just what you wanted to know. The
latest version has tremendous attention to detail.
For more information on this program or to download it to your
computer go to: www.devon-technologies.com.
The program is compatible with OS10.3.9 and higher and costs
approximately $50.00; well worth the time it
saves.