Excite Targets Pentium III Users With New Site

Excite Inc. Friday launched a new graphics-intensive Web site targeting consumers with computers containing Intel Corp.’s new Pentium III processor.

Dubbed Excite Extreme, the site features 3-D graphics and other enhancements designed to take advantage of the new instructions contained in the Pentium III chip. Initially the site will be available through Intel’s WebOutfitter service. However, Excite plans to integrate it into its main site in the second quarter.

Excite (XCIT) said the new site is built entirely in Java. Razorfish, a digital communications strategist, collaborated with Excite to launch the new site.

Excite Extreme contains many features of Excite’s main portal, including search and personalized content. On the Pentium III-optimized site, these features are presented in a 3-D environment.

The site also contains a new navigation feature that allows users to view images representing the areas of Excite Extreme they have already visited. Users can return to any of the areas by clicking on their graphical representation.

Search functions are available on all pages which allows the user to change search topics without leaving the page they are on. Search results are segmented into three categories: Excite directory results, general Web results and news-related results.

Excite Extreme also opens up new advertising possibilities by offering interactive, rich-media content that can be sponsored by corporate partners. For example, the technology would allow shoppers to see how a particular clothing item would look on them by using 3-D modeling.

Adam Hertz, Excite’s vice president of development, said the new site has given the company new opportunities to innovate and experiment with new technologies.

“We’re using Excite Extreme to explore ideas for the next generation of user experiences on the Web. The high performance of the Pentium III processor lets us shift more of the work of generating the interface to the user’s desktop computer. This is especially important for ‘middleband’ users,” he said.

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

News Around the Web