Google may be the king of search, but Yahoo! is the queen of start pages. I utilize both and while Google is taking steps in the right direction, they are still primarily a search engine - with many excellent services aimed more at geeks than at general audiences.

    Yahoo! on the other hand is copiously aimed at the general consumer, with a few services tacked on for the geek (e.g. My Web and Yahoo! Pipes).  I find Yahoo! to be an excellent starting place for a number of reasons.

    First, they have a great web-based, free email client. While GMail has some nifty features, Yahoo!'s interface make one feel as if one is using a software program rather than a website.

    Secondly, Yahoo! has great reliable sections on a variety of topics. They've either created or partnered with a number of great companies to ensure the best and comprehensive content is available. I particularly enjoy reading their news headlines (though Digg has taken first place in this regards) and looking at their Movies section, which includes quick access to movie synopsis, box office numbers, reviews, previews, trailers, and more.

    Yahoo! has decent sections on automotives, finance, and real estate. Not to mention that they have really stepped up their A-game versus Google Maps with their new beta maps product.

    Yahoo's entire interface is aesthetically pleasing, and while their is loads of content one never feels overwhelmed, everything is always well laid out. The Yahoo search engine is decently good, though I still prefer Google's. As a place to start your web journey each day though, it is great.