The MSN Search weblog has now announced that it is possible to use the system
for
tracking packages, or more specifically, packages from FedEx, DHL, UPS and
USPS. Searchers can simply enter a tracking ID and some other tracking keywords
and the Package Tracking Instant Answer will correctly construct the link. An
example given is ‘Where is UPS tracking number?’ Additionally you could
use the RSS feed for the search to really keep up to date on where your package
has gone. Google has
had this feature for years now, although it doesn’t have an option for DHL.
Postscript from Danny: Yahoo
added a
package tracking
command in 2004. It also doesn’t cover DHL. Bloglines
added
tracking in March 2005, and parent Ask.com offers it as well, Ask’s
Gary Price
tells us. He sends this
example.
Unfortunately, there’s no help information that I can find on Ask that explains
this further, not even in the
Smart Answers section. Finally, check out
PackageMapper.com, which we mentioned
earlier this year. It provides the actual route your package is taking (though
it wasn’t loading when I tried today).