Welcome to Froogle @ Google!

Froogle is Googles latest concoction. It is essentially an online shopping database where you can browse all listed directories for similar products. Good idea, but it's only in its 'beta' stage so the directory isn't that impressive just yet. Hopefully over time they will grow like Yahoo to include regional directories and the likes. However, one advantage Froogle has over directories such as Yahoo is that you can list for free. Yahoo was initially free for commercial sites as with everyone else but now charges for business related websites. Froogle may be free now, but wait until they become the big boys of online shopping and see if it lasts. Make the most of it now. This is a good idea and just as well presented as Google, with comprehensive help pages. Actually, you could be forgiven for thinking you were actually at the Google home page rather than Froogle's, because it is virtually identicle, right down to the FROOOOOOOOOGLE display at the bottom of the results pages. I guess if its not broken, don't fix it. By the way, if you're wondering where the name 'Froogle' came from:

Froogle is a play on the word "frugal," meaning thrifty, and the name "Google," which has come to stand for excellence in search technology. "Google" is itself a play on the word "googol," which is the term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. So you might say "Froogle" is a play within a play. "Beta" is geek speak for a pilot program or test version of a product. It means that the Froogle you see today is likely to evolve and improve over time.

Google stands for 'excellence in search technology'? Well, you have to give them points for trying.