New Google and Bing Engines Go Beyond Search - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

Closing paragraphs of a Google/Bing search snapshot

"The baby steps they’ve taken this week are welcome and genuinely useful — and there’s not much downside, apart from a little clutter.
Both Microsoft and Google stress that these developments are but the first timid steps into a beautiful future — a future where search pages know what you mean, display exactly the information you want with one click, and even perform tasks for you. These companies are no longer happy serving only as the card catalog for the Web; now they even want to bring you the book."

New Google and Bing Engines Go Beyond Search - State of the Art - NYTimes.com