A Scottish firm, CEC Systems, has developed a new search engine that speaks aloud its results. Named Speegle, it allows users to select one of three voices which will then read the results of a query. The system is intended for those with visual impairments, or, according to its founder Gordon Renton, “those that just want to search for something in the background while they do something else”. However, it has proved popular with those learning English, particularly from China and Japan (which raises the troubling spectre of these users learning to speak English with a gruff Scottish accent, as those found on the site).

The first impression, on visiting the site, is its similarity to Google (apart from just the name) - the layout and colours are very obviously based on those of Google, despite denials from CEC. The site also feels amateurish, due to the somewhat crude design and various spelling mistakes.

There are also question marks over its usefulness. Julie Howell, digital policy manager at the Royal National Institute for the Blind, expressed doubts over whether Speegle and similar sites really enhance the browsing experience for the visually impaired: “Blind people have specialised screen readers available to them which will do the job these technologies do in a more sophisticated way”. In view of this, Speegle would appear to be an example of worthy sentiment, but misdirected execution.

10-year-olds will be disappointed to learn that the engine has banned most naughty words (though, experimentation reveals, not all).