San Francisco: In its latest bid to catch up with rivals Google Inc and Yahoo Inc, Microsoft Corp has launched a revamped Internet search engine which will help computer users find information faster, view it more easily and organize it better.
Windows Live Search is Microsoft's latest move in a major strategy shift that has the world's largest software company focusing more heavily on Internet-based software and services.
The goal of the shift, which includes initiatives dubbed Windows Live and Office Live, is to create online products to complement its main cash cows: the Windows operating system and Office business software.
Windows Live Search will be the search engine powering both MSN.com and live.com, Microsoft's Windows Live website. MSN spokesman Adam Sohn said the company has not determined how long it will run Windows Live Search in test form.
A key goal with the new search engine will be to give people more control over how they search for information and how they put it to use once they get it, said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of information services at MSN, the division that's working on Windows Live.
"A lot of people think, 'Hey, ... Didn't Google become the popular search engine? And don't they just do a great job? And there's no room for improvement.'" Mehdi said. Once people get a feel for Windows Live Search, Mehdi said, "They're going to say, 'Holy cow, I had no idea that search could get this much better.'"
The new search engine includes features such as support for tabbed Web browsing, which lets people keep several search panes open in a single window.
Comments
0 comment