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MS search engine to take on Google
Microsoft unveiled what its founder Bill Gates calls 'more precise and powerful' search capabilities on msn.com.
Microsoft has unveiled what its founder Bill Gates calls "more precise and powerful" search capabilities on msn.com.
The announcement is widely seen as Microsoft's effort to crack the near monopoly of search technology pioneer Google, which too has recently added a host of new features.
"Our goal at Microsoft is to use the power of software to solve our customers' toughest problems. Searching the Internet today is a challenge, and it is estimated that nearly half of customers' complex questions go unanswered," Gates said in an official announcement.
"That's why we're proud of our new MSN Search service, a simple and powerful tool that helps you find the answers you want from sources as diverse as Web pages, images, news headlines, music downloads and even files on your PC."
"Input from millions of our customers - including me - was crucial to our efforts to make MSN Search the best it can be. If you have not already tried it, I encourage you to visit www.msn.com and type in your question. We'd love to hear what you think, and I promise that we will continue to improve MSN based on your feedback," Gates said.
The worldwide search engine is available in 25 markets and 10 languages.
MSN Search has been displayed more prominently on the home page, with convenient tabs that allow consumers to search for news, images, music, desktop or Microsoft Encarta. The MSN Search consolidates all of Microsoft's own capabilities and network into one platform.
"We're committed to continuous improvement in the speed, precision and ease of use of our search service," corporate vice-president of the MSN Information Services & Merchant Platform division at Microsoft, Yusuf Mehdi was quoted as saying.
Microsoft puts its digital encyclopedia Encarta to a good use by letting searchers dig into its more than 1.5 million answers. Answers are provided in categories such as geographical locations, historical and popular figures, definitions, facts, calculations, conversions, and solutions to equations.
It also offers instant answers from MSN Music where consumers can type the name of a recording artist, song or album into MSN Search and automatically obtain links to music files and other top content provided by MSN Music. It also allows users to purchase and download music. The feature is currently available only in the US.
The company's global campaign is expected to reach 90 per cent of consumers in America and several hundred million other consumers globally.
With this news service Microsoft hopes to grab a major share of the search engine market, which has turned into one of the most attractive companies. Although Google enjoys the pioneer's advantage, Microsoft is likely to use its financial and network muscle to power into this rapidly growing multi-billion dollar market.
