Web search company Ask Jeeves Inc. on Wednesday said it bought private desktop search company Tukaroo Inc. amid speculation that larger rival Google Inc. is moving in a similar direction.
San Jose, California-based Tukaroo was founded in 2003. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Google, the world's No. 1 Web search company that is preparing an initial public offering, reportedly is working on a downloadable file and text search tool to help users find information stored on their desktops.
"We expect that Tukaroo's desktop search and information management capabilities will enable Ask Jeeves to deliver a seamless, end-to-end search experience across the desktop and the Internet," Ask Jeeves CEO Steve Berkowitz said in a statement.
Microsoft Corp., whose Windows software runs on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers, is building its own Web search engine to take on Google.
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