Beta-testing of 550 Access Toolbar version 3.0    

 

This document is a preliminary description for 550 Access Toolbar version 3.0. For further enquiries, you may contact us at president(@)550access.com. Members of the Press may contact us using the "Press Inquiry" link above.

 

Contents
Preliminary Notes
  General information about the toolbar
  What is new in version 3.0
  Availability
Screen shots
Responses to your questions and comments
License Agreement & Policies
Download Beta Software

Release Schedule:

February, 2004

License type:

Freeware

Platform:

Windows 95/98/ Me/NT/ XP/2000

License:

Freeware


Responses to your questions & comments

We will try our best to answer all your queries and post them here at the earliest. To avoid repetitions, new questions will be posted here only if they pose concerns which might not have already been answered. If you do not find your question and the reply posted here within 3 business days after sending us the e-mail, then it may be because we have already addressed your concerns while responding to another query.

 

All the questions are answered by Vivek Dave, President of 550 Access.


Is the toolbar some kind of spyware?
Would you collect my personal information?
Hi! I read about the new toolbar. I am a 550 access customer and using your toolbar. Will the new version also be free or will I have to pay for extra feature?
Why are you offering this software for free? Is there a catch?
You have written about the blocking of ads in search engine results but what about pop-ups? Will I be able to block pop-ups with your toolbar?
Which search engines would this precision search work with?
If you will be only replacing the top links by your own ads, then what will be the benefit to a user. How will it be different from your current version?
I own an online retail business and I definitely see the advantages of getting this toolbar branded for my company. I am excited about the possibility of getting my own ads delivered to users when they search. But will it have any legal implications? Will it be an infringement on rights of the search engines if their content is partially blocked or manipulated?
Will it be legal for you to block or replace ads?
Hi. I read about your new toolbar. What reaction do you expect from google, yahoo and all those other search engines?
If you block the ads of search engines, then how will they make money? Why would companies pay them any advertising money if their ads would not even appear? Don’t you think the livelihood of these companies would be severely affected if your product gets widely distributed?
It seems to me that the “precision search” would affect the numerous companies whose entire revenues come from publishing of ads. Are you trying to push those companies into bankruptcy?
What kind of "replacement ads" will you be delivering? I would not want to have ads with adult content coming up when my kids get online.
Do I need to uninstall Toolbar 2.0 before installing Toolbar 3.0? If so, how do I uninstall Toolbar 2.0?


Author

 Queries and Responses
Chris2222 Is the toolbar some kind of spyware?
550 Access No. The toolbar is NOT a Spyware. It does not monitor your online activity or interfere with your online privacy. It does not instigate any pop-ups or change any browser settings.
 
Sharon Would you collect my personal information?
550 Access No. We do not collect any personally identifiable information.
Andy Gants Hi! I read about the new toolbar. I am a 550 access customer and using your toolbar. Will the new version also be free or will I have to pay for extra feature?
550 Access Andy, Thanks for being a customer of 550 Access. In answer to your question, yes, the new version will also be distributed for free to users.
Anna Jackson Why are you offering this software for free? Is there a catch?
550 Access There is absolutely no catch! By giving away our software for free, we plan to increase awareness of our company and services. We do hope that when users download our product, they will also consider switching to the highly affordable 550 Access Dialup service. And even if they do not, they would still tell their family and friends about this product and about 550 Access.
Maggie Newman You have written about the blocking of ads in search engine results but what about pop-ups? Will I be able to block pop-ups with your toolbar?
550 Access Hello Maggie. It seems to me that you are not familiar with the 550 Access Toolbar. We already have the pop-up blocking capability integrated in our current toolbar version and it is most efficient. This feature would be a part of our new toolbar version 3.0 also. I'll recommend that you download our current toolbar from this website and try it out.
 
Pat Willison Which search engines would this precision search work with?
550 Access Pat, on our toolbar, there is a comprehensive drop-down menu of search engines. You can select any of these search engines to perform a search for the keyword you type in the search field of  550 Access toolbar. PRECISION SEARCH works with most of the search engines listed there i.e. Google, AltaVista, AllTheWeb, AskJeeves, InfoSeek, Lycos, LookSmart, MSN, and Yahoo.
 
Simone If you will be only replacing the top links by your own ads, then what will be the benefit to a user. How will it be different from your current version?
550 Access Good question and I am glad that you brought it up so I can clarify the doubts that many users have expressed regarding this.

First of all, the user has complete control i.e. user has the option to turn off the feature and therefore not allow replacements of ads. Therefore if you choose, you can get search results with no ads at all.

Secondly, the top links are less intrusive than the banners which appear adjacent to main search results since it is the latter which cause maximum clutter on your screen. So even if you choose to receive replacement ads, you will still continue to get clean interface without all those banner. But as I said before, it is the users who will have complete control of what they choose to receive. You might want to view the screenshots examples that we have placed on this site.
 
Danzbw12 I own an online retail business and I definitely see the advantages of getting this toolbar branded for my company. I am excited about the possibility of getting my own ads delivered to users when they search. But will it have any legal implications? Will it be an infringement on rights of the search engines if their content is partially blocked or manipulated?
Tom J Will it be legal for you to block or replace ads?
550 Access Well, we can draw similarities with other software that deal with the same issue. If we start questioning the ad blocking by PRECISION SEARCH then we might as well question the validity or permissibility of Pop-up blockers. And what about the search sites that open links to other websites within their own frames on the top. The implications for the PRECISION SEARCH are very much similar to those in the above instances. Eventually it is up to the consumer. How do consumers exercise their choice and how much control they are provided with in order to exercise this choice.
 
Sam Lee Hi. I read about your new toolbar. What reaction do you expect from google, yahoo and all those other search engines?
Michael If you block the ads of search engines, then how will they make money? Why would companies pay them any advertising money if their ads would not even appear? Don’t you think the livelihood of these companies would be severely affected if your product gets widely distributed?
550 Access Many of you have raised this question and it is a very valid concern. However no business strategy is set in stone. Every company is faced with challenges which force them to rethink their way of doing business and evolve their business model. It is especially so in such a dynamic marketplace as the internet market. Disruptive technologies or innovations always raise such concerns and it is upto the companies to develop new strategies for growth.

Our effort is directed at evolving our products to increase value to our customers, which is what this product is all about.
 
GoYinyang22 It seems to me that the “precision search” would affect the numerous companies whose entire revenues come from publishing of ads. Are you trying to push those companies into bankruptcy?
550 Access I do not deny that as more and more internet users use PRECISION SEARCH, there would be some impact on publishers but then as I had asked before, how is it different from popup blocking which kills the ads and banners served by such companies. The underlying theme is that the consumers should have control on what they choose to see and what they do not because it is the consumer who owns the desktop. And the consumers WILL have the option to deactivate ad-blocking and/ or ad-replacement by PRECISION SEARCH.
 
Simone What kind of "replacement ads" will you be delivering? I would not want to have ads with adult content coming up when my kids get online.
550 Access The replacement ads will only be 550 Access ads. There will be no pornographic or offensive content in these ads. Please view the Screenshots for an example of our replacement ads. Moreover, you can also change settings to remove even the 550 Access ads at any time.
 
Kevin Do I need to uninstall Toolbar 2.0 before installing Toolbar 3.0? If so, how do I uninstall Toolbar 2.0?
550 Access It is recommended that you uninstall Toolbar 2.0 before installing Toolbar 3.0. To uninstall the toolbar, go to Start >>Programs >>550 Access Toolbar >> Uninstall 550 Access Toolbar