About Us » Background
In December 2005, the KallOut team was frustrated by typical web browsing and searching. The internet browser was powerful, the search invocation process was simple, and the search results were impressive, but it just didn't seem to fit naturally into our normal workflow. The entire process was filled with so much typing, clicking, back-button pressing and context disruption that it took us away from our primary focus.
Although new browsers were coming out that offered tabs, we were still frustrated because the new web page, whether brought up in the same browser window as the search results or opened into a new tab, still completely covered up the prior web page. Toolbars in the header area of the browser for various search engines seemed to save one step in the process but they were of limited value if the need to search arose inside some other application besides IE6, IE7 or Firefox.
As we focused on how we might improve this situation, it began to dawn on us that the problem was that "search was trapped inside the browser." So, realizing that the urge to search didn't always start when we already had a browser open, we asked this fundamental question:
Where does search begin?
By asking the question this way, it became clear that search doesn't begin in a browser. Search actually begins in the midst of some other activity when you realize that you want or need more information and believe that the answer you require is available online.
Given that the need to search often arises while reading an e-mail, writing a document, viewing a PDF file, creating a presentation or updating a spreadsheet, it was clear that both the act of invoking a search and the presentation of the search results needed to escape the confines of the browser.
If the functionality didn't live inside the browser, we decided it should work over any of the applications on the user's computer. By implementing KallOut as a client-side application that operates at the desktop-level of the operating system as an always-running tray application, we were able to provide a system-wide interface for invoking search and viewing results.
This new architecture and user interface for managing the search process led to the creation of a new application category called "selection-based search." From early beginnings as JPEG mockups in a slideware presentation on April 15, 2006 to the fully featured KallOut Version 1.0 that shipped on April 15, 2008, we have made a great first step towards realizing our mission of delivering the most compelling search experiences for our customers around the world.
Our next steps forward will come from listening to your questions, comments, critiques and suggestions for KallOut and constantly striving to invent the future in which we want to live and work.