Dragon's life in the UK: October 2004

ICQ 4

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Google launches Froogle in the UK

US internet giant Google has launched its shopping price comparison website Froogle in the UK, putting it head to head with rivals such as Kelkoo.
Froogle helps shoppers in cyberspace find the goods they want by displaying photos of products requested by the user and offering them links to stores.

The UK expansion follows Google's $1.67bn (£927m) flotation in August.

Online shopping has taken off in the UK, with shoppers expected to spend £17bn online this year.

Shoppers flock

Figures from research group NOP suggest that some 10% of all purchases in the UK are now made online.

Google says it already has 'hundreds' of merchants signed up to provide goods through the service, now live at www.froogle.co.uk.

Unlike some e-commerce search sites, Froogle is free to both retailers as well as buyers.

Google makes its money from selling text ads linked to search terms that appear alongside search results.

"We developed Froogle UK so that online shoppers could quickly and easily locate the products they are looking for, from the most obscure to the most popular," said Cosmos Nicolaou, engineering director at Google.

Friendly rivals?

Despite making inroads into the UK shopping market, Google claims it is keen not to step on rival Kelkoo's toes in Europe.

Paris-based Kelkoo, bought by Yahoo for $589m, is one of Europe's fastest growing e-commerce sites.

While the company admitted it was considering expansion into France and Germany, it said there was no time frame for stepping on Kelkoo's turf.

Indeed, Kelkoo is one of Google's largest advertisers and the company claims it wants to maintain close ties with rivals.

"As far as we're concerned, we'd be happy to show Kelkoo's listings," said Mr Nicolaou.

Froogle's service in the US has online rival Amazon.com and Yahoo's shopping service among its retail partners.

Glimpse of Half-Life 2 software

Gamers have been able to get a taste of the technology behind the widely anticipated Half-Life 2 PC game.
Late last week, the game's makers released its multiplayer companion, a revamped version of Counter-Strike.

The popular online game has became a showcase for the Source engine developed by Valve.

Source is the underlying software code behind the Half-Life 2's life-like environment, realistic physics and improved visuals.

Game bundles

The leading edge technology will power the long-awaited Half-Life 2 PC game.

The game's publisher, Vivendi, has not yet set an official date for its release but it could be in the shops in late November.

We also plan to experiment with new gameplay types derived from the physics simulation system

Doug Lombardi, Valve
"We are still hopeful, however, to see the game on store shelves this fall," Valve spokesman Doug Lombardi told BBC News Online.

But fans who cannot wait have been able to sample some of the features promised by the Source engine as Valve has used it to power a new version of Counter-Strike.

However, the game can only be bought as part of a Half-Life 2 bundle via Valve's online delivery system called Steam. Counter-Strike: Source can be played immediately, but Half-Life 2 is locked until the game is officially released in the shops.

Counter-Strike emerged as a spin-off from the original Half-Life game, going on to become one of the most popular online PC games of all time.

It pits a gang of terrorists with a particular aim against a team of counter-terrorists whose mission is to stop them within a defined time limit.

Simulated world

As a game, Counter-Strike: Source will be familiar to its thousands of fans, as it has remained essentially unchanged.

Half-Life 2 could be out in the coming months
Instead Valve has used Source to overhaul the game, with better-looking worlds, more realistic weapons and much more life-like movement.

"During the actual gameplay, the introduction of physics provides for a much more visceral experience," said Mr Lombardi.

"And small graphic details such as shadows change the gameplay on the tight, atmospheric areas of certain maps.

"We also plan to experiment with new gameplay types derived from the physics simulation system."

Part of the aim of Source is to create a virtual world where objects react as they would in the real world, with the same physical attributes such as sound, buoyancy and friction.

Valve hopes this is one of the elements that will set Half-Life 2 apart from other games, with players able to use objects around them as weapons or for shelter.

But Mr Lombardi admitted that this may be as real as games can get.

"In terms of visuals and sounds of the software playable on today's hardware, yeah, I think we're approaching a point of diminishing returns.

"However, I do think the hardware will evolve to offer more advanced 'surround' display units, and perhaps more efficient input devices, like true voice input, and the introduction of these would naturally open the door to new experiences and designs."