While not exactly the new, improved search engine—and potential rival to Google—that is was initially rumored to be, new upstart Powerset launched its first product today, a search based on natural language rather than exact keyword match. According to Business Week:

What you notice immediately when searching on something, whether it’s in the form of a question or the usual keyword combinations, is that Powerset’s engine does in fact recognize the meaning of words. And that can make a huge difference in helping you find what you are really looking for.

Right now, for its Beta launch, Powerset is focusing solely on Wikipedia articles. An in-depth analysis has been posted at Searchengineland.com, explaining how Powerset works and how it parses information.

I understand almost none of it.

But… based on how Powerset finds information, and its cross-referencing capabilities, it really does seem like a better way to get information out of Wikipedia rather than Wikipedia’s own flimsy search engine. Try it here.