Probably one of the most infuriating things on a mobile device is when an app has poor search functionality. Facebook has had notoriously ugly search on web and mobile, and its probably one of the reasons I’ve started using Google+ more recently. That’s why I was pretty excited when one of the Seedcamp Paris teams from earlier this month claimed they could bring typo-tolerant and flexible search capabilities to mobile apps – and they launched this past week!
Paris-based Algolia is packed with former Exalead execs – the founders have a combined 15 years of developer experience, including CTO roles. They are now offering their search component in a per-license form for just $590, less than the cost of one day of development – more pricing information here. In order for potential clients to test out their solution, they released a Smart Contacts iPhone app to demonstrate just how powerful their solution is – and I’ve even started using it to search through my contacts, ever since Facebook flooded my iPhone with ‘friends’ contact information.
For developers, this is a no-brainer: stop wasting time building rudimentary search functionalities that are only going to be a crutch for your app’s retention funnel, and integrate a full-fledged solution that will allow users to search using a variety of criteria, with an intelligence behind it that rivals Google.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaxijA8wX7o
Algolia powers search so your mobile app doesn't suck anymore
Innovation