Yahoo launches upgraded web search with Search Direct

In a revamp of its internet search service Yahoo Inc is now offering a sensing feature and showcasing of answers from movie listings to weather forecasts, even as users type in a word in the search query field.

The upgrade comes as a bid by Yahoo to regain web search market share and respond to new features on Google Inc's website.

"People are looking for answers; they're not looking for links," Yahoo executive Shashi Seth told reporters in San Francisco while demonstrating the new service on Wednesday.

The Search Direct service, as it is called, displays answers to queries in a pop-up box which change in real-time as users continue typing in a search term.

Google Instant which was launched last year, predicts a search term when only a few words are typed and serves up relevant results immediately.

According to Seth, Yahoo is talking to advertisers about new kinds of graphically rich ad formats and video ads that could appear inside the Search Direct box. Seth is senior vice president of Yahoo Search and Marketplaces.