A Nation of Bloggers and Googling by E-Mail

A rather odd statement here:

<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/22/technology/circuits/22DIAR.html?pagewanted=print>

>August 22, 2002
>
>A Nation of Bloggers and Googling by E-Mail
>
>Google by Mail
>
>By most measures, Google dominates Web searching. Now you don't have 
>to be on the Web to use it.
>
>A new service called GoogleMail gives you e-mail access to the 
>popular search engine. Just send a message to google@capeclear.com 
>with your query in the Subject line. The search results will be sent 
>to your In box, usually within minutes.
>
>The service was created by Cape Clear Software, which specializes in 
>so-called Web services, or software that links online applications 
>with other programs. Initially it was aimed at users of palmtop 
>organizers and mobile phones. But in just a few months GoogleMail 
>has handled more than 30,000 queries from a surprising variety of 
>people, said Colin Newman, vice president for marketing at Cape 
>Clear.
>
>For example, GoogleMail is fielding many queries from places where 
>online Internet access can be relatively expensive, like Russia and 
>the Philippines. "People are creating e-mail queries offline and 
>then going online just to send them," Mr. Newman explained. "Then 
>they disconnect, and log back on later to download the results."
>
>The service has also drawn interest from blind users, who use 
>special devices that read them their e-mail. Now those "readers" can 
>handle Web searches as well. [...]

Just how is Google inaccessible to screen readers? It's almost 
entirely plain text. Sending results by E-mail eliminates the one or 
two graphics (which already contain alt texts) and nothing more.
-- 

     Joe Clark | joeclark@joeclark.org
     Accessibility <http://joeclark.org/access/>

Received on Friday, 23 August 2002 17:00:08 UTC