Yahoo searches for a new start

At long last, Microsoft and Yahoo have joined forces. The partnership, designed to fortify both struggling companies against Google, marks the end of an era for both Yahoo and Silicon Valley. And once again, it looks like the wily Microsoft is coming out on top.

 

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The 10-year deal shifts control of Yahoo search results and ads to Microsoft, which will use Yahoo’s better-trafficked site as a platform for its new search engine, Bing. Microsoft will pay for the expensive infrastructure it requires to run search technology, freeing up Yahoo’s cash for that company’s other operations. Microsoft paid no cash up front, and investors think Yahoo got the bum end of the deal – that company’s stock plunged 12 percent the day it was announced.

The investors are probably right: Unless Yahoo’s new CEO, Carol Bartz, can work miracles on Yahoo’s other products, the company might regret getting out of the search business. In the long term, Microsoft and Yahoo probably had no choice but to band together against Google, which controls a monstrous share of the search market (nearly 70 percent). But in the short term, it could mean a tough restructuring that affects morale all over Silicon Valley.

Many Yahoo employees will lose their jobs or have to move over to Microsoft. In a conference call this week, Bartz acknowledged the impact: “Yes, there are certainly many Yahoo search employees that will be asked to take jobs at Microsoft as they integrate the technology. … And then unfortunately there will be some redundancies in Yahoo. … There will be redundancies; it just is in the future.” She added that nothing will change until the two companies get regulatory approval for the partnership, which won’t happen until 2010 at the earliest. Then there’s a “transition” period, which will last for two years after that. But if we were Yahoo search employees, we’d start polishing those resumes now.

There should still be a place for them in Silicon Valley. Yahoo’s always had a fraught relationship with search – even in the early days, company founders Jerry Yang and David Filo never wanted to spend too much of Yahoo’s money building infrastructure – but it was healthy for Silicon Valley to have the two major search companies in competition right here. What would be healthiest would be for someone – perhaps one of those spurned Yahoo search employees – to launch a new company, perhaps to compete with Google. There should be room for all.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/31/EDQR191T6C.DTL#ixzz0N8z2hFSe

Filed under: Google, Microsoft , Bing, Google, Microsoft, msn, Yahoo

Microsoft, Yahoo Alliance Would Target Google

About a year after Microsoft Corp.’s hostile, contentious and unsuccessful bid to buy Yahoo Inc., the two companies appear set to join forces to take on a common rival – Google Inc.

The Wall Street Journal reported tonight that Microsoft and Yahoo are hours away from announcing a search and online advertising deal. According to Kara Swisher, a blogger for The Wall Street Journal, negotiations have been successfully wrapped up on a deal that is expected to have Microsoft’s search technology used on Yahoo sites.

This new Microsoft-Yahoo partnership could give the two companies some much-needed leverage in their ongoing – and until now, separate – battles to chip away at Google’s stranglehold on the search market. With Carol Bartz still new at the helm of Yahoo and focused on making the once-online-pioneer hip and fresh again, and Microsoft’s Bing search service only a few months old, neither company has been able to make a noticeable dent in Google’s well-polished, and well-funded, armor.

So a strategy that has them pooling their resources and industry might makes a lot of sense, says Dan Olds, an analyst at The Gabriel Consulting Group.

“Both Microsoft and Yahoo need this deal if they harbor any hopes of getting back into the lucrative search game,” said Olds. “Search has become the most reliable way of capturing eyeballs on the Internet and having a popular search engine is the basis for all of Google’s success. Both Microsoft and Yahoo have invested billions of dollars in trying to build search and content portals that would be able to command Google-like ad revenues. But both have failed to blunt Google’s revenue growth individually. Together they might have a better chance.”

Both companies have also been making separate moves in recent months.

In June, Microsoft unveiled its new search engine, an update to its far-from-beloved Microsoft Live Search. And with Microsoft’s advertising power and a lot of media attention behind it, Bing has shown strong numbers just out of the gate. Early this month, Web analytics firm StatCounter reported that Bing may have nibbled away at Google’s commanding lead in the search arena, but it definitely hasn’t taken a big bite. While Google Inc.’s share dipped from 79.07% to 78.48% in June, Microsoft’s search site share grew from 7.21% to 8.23%.

Yahoo is hanging in at a distant second place to Google with 11.04% of the market.

StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen described Bing’s progress in the market as “steady, if not spectacular.”

And on its own front, Yahoo last week unveiled the beta of a newly overhauled homepage, whose promised features include the ability to integrate with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. The changes are an apparent attempt to recapture some of the hip cache the site had during its heyday.

The problem for Microsoft and Yahoo is that despite their efforts, Google still looms far ahead of both. Olds, however, said they have a much better shot at their shared opponent if they work it together.

“Separately, they have small fractions of Google’s viewership, but together, with a well executed plan and solid cooperation, they have a shot of at least giving Google a run for its money,” he added. “Google needs to take this seriously, which I think they will. Microsoft and Yahoo have a lot of resources to throw at this and they now have a partnership and a plan.”

Source  – wall Mart Journal

Filed under: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo , google and microsoft, google va yahoo, googlr, goolge, live, Microsoft, msn, search engine, Yahoo

Microsoft Launches Search Engine for China — But Don’t Call It Bing

After a brief hiatus last week, software giant Microsoft’s Bing search engine is back online in China.

Microsoft launched a Chinese version of Bing on June 1 at cn.bing.com, marking the first time the company has offered a Web product specifically targeted at the 298 million Web users in mainland China. But unlike its American counterpart (and like many of the other international versions of Bing), Chinese Bing is still a bit of a shell at this point, without all of the handy features that are available on the U.S. search engine.

And in China, Microsoft prefers not to call it “bing,” since that sound can have several meanings in Mandarin, depending on the tone and character associated with it. For example, this word: 病. Pronounced bing (fourth tone), it means “sickness” or “to be ill,” something most people would prefer to avoid. Other “bings” mean ice, soldier and pancake.

The Chinese version has thus been named “biying” (必应) which means “must respond/answer” and which Microsoft is marketing it as a“decision engine”– something that will provide information to assist Internet users with their decision-making processes.

Initial reviews in China have been mixed. Some users have expressed disappointment after comparing the Chinese version of Bing with China’s other leading search engines Google and Baidu, as well as with the U.S. version of Bing. On his blog, Franky Xu noted that though the company is trying to provide unique features exclusively for Chinese users, the localization of the product is poorly done. “It’s impossible to go back to the original U.S. version directly through the Chinese site, but you can do that with Google,” he said, adding that “some of the recommended keywords didn’t make sense.” One feature he missed from the U.S. version is the pop-up window that shows a preview of another Web site when the mouse cursor is hovered over a Web link.

Without additional context or background information, users have also been confused by the daily home page images. “The picture is beautiful, but very non-China” said one user (in Chinese).“I guess eight or nine out of ten Chinese have no idea where it is when seeing this.”

One function that has won over many users in China is the video search, which allows videos to be played directly from within the thumbnails on the search result pages (a feature that’s not available on Google or Baidu).

But industry analysts say this new move by Microsoft is unlikely to alter the competitive landscape in China, since Microsoft’s share of the search market has been negligible. The market is currently dominated by Baidu and Google, with respective market shares of 59% and 30.6%, according to Internet research firm Analysis International. (Google boosted its market share to over 30% for the first time this year through its launch of music search and free download service, according to analysts.) Other major players in the market include Yahoo China and Sohu.com’s Sogou.

Source — http://blogs.wsj.com

Filed under: Microsoft , Bing, Bing Search Engine, Don’t Call It Bing, Microsoft, Microsoft Launches Search Engine for China — But Don’t Call It Bing, search engine, Search Engine for China

Microsoft’s Kumo: already a step behind?

Once again, Microsoft is finding itself beaten to the punch in the search game.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may be ready to unveil search engine Kumo as early as next week.

While it has been readying Kumo for its first public airing–probably at next week’s D: All Things Digital event–Yahoo and Google have already shown off their latest search enhancements. Worse still, their demos show that Redmond’s rivals are heading in some of the same directions as Microsoft itself.

According to screenshots that leaked out in March, Kumo’s look focuses on a new left-hand navigation menu that breaks searches down into a number of related queries. The results themselves also feature information organized into categories.

For example, a search on “Audi” breaks things down into an initial result with facts such as price and fuel economy pulled out in bold, followed by general Web results, then results by category, such as Audi parts, used Audis, and Audi accessories.

But in the time since those screenshots leaked and Microsoft began internal testing of Kumo, Yahoo and Google have also continued to advance their efforts. Last week, Google showed off new ways of filtering results at its Searchology event.

On Tuesday, Yahoo talked about trying to return more instant results, as opposed to just linking to sites that might have what a user is looking for. Yahoo even used Microsoft’s favorite catch phrase.

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“It’s time to kill the 10 blue links,” said Prabhakar Raghavan, head of Yahoo’s search strategy, referring to the top 10 search results listed when you enter most queries into a search engine. “We want to move away from document retrieval as center of search to divining the user’s intent.”

The Kumo revamp includes more than just a new user interface and is also expected to include enhancements in video and image search as well as technology from Powerset, a natural-language search company Microsoft bought last year.

The need for Microsoft to make headway is critical. After four years in the business, Microsoft continues to tread water as a distant third in the search market. Even within its own walls it hasn’t been able to command a majority of searches.

In the broader market, the company has struggled to achieve a double-digit market share. In April, the company had 9.9 percent of the U.S. search market, according to Nielsen Online. That compares to 16.3 percent for Yahoo and 64 percent for Google.

The effort has also been a drag on the company’s overall earnings as it has continued to pour billions of dollars in profits from its Windows and Office businesses into the money-losing online push. Last quarter alone, Microsoft’s online services business had a $575 million operating loss on revenue of $721 million.

Search is key for Microsoft–and everyone else in the business–because it is where much of the online money is made today, as opposed to services such as e-mail or instant messaging, which generate relatively paltry amounts of revenue.

Microsoft is counting on Kumo to help the company improve its fortunes and prove that the years-long investment in search will finally bear fruit. However, some are less than optimistic that Microsoft can make headway.

“The battle for general Web search is all but over–or at least the formation of the landscape for that,” said Ned May, the lead analyst for Outsell, an analysis firm that focuses on the information and publishing industries. “It’s Google, Yahoo, Microsoft–in that order.”

The launch of Wolfram Alpha shows that the public is still hungry for additional alternatives, May said, but added that at this point new advances are quickly copied, limiting broad-scale changes in the market.

May noted that Microsoft is rumored to be planning a $100 million ad campaign to promote its search improvements.

“That speaks to what it’s about today,” May said. “They need to spend $100 million to move the needle in their direction. That speaks volumes.”

Microsoft won’t say when Kumo will be available publicly, or in fact whether it will keep the Kumo name or go with one of the reported alternatives, such as Bing.

Although Microsoft may well show Kumo at D, the public launch is still a bit further off. A clock at Microsoft, said to be counting down the days until Kumo’s launch, won’t be done ticking in time for the News Corp.-owned conference.

By my rough calculations, that should have the clock standing at somewhere around a dozen days from today. As others have also noted, that coincides with June 3, the start of SMX Advanced, where Microsoft’s Qi Lu is speaking.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has been testing some Kumo-like navigation features in recent days.

May said that the changes being talked about make sense, but may not be enough to help Microsoft stand out.

“That’s good stuff,” he said, but added that Yahoo already does a good job of things like suggesting additional searches. “It’s already being done pretty well by the others.”

Filed under: Microsoft , Microsoft, microsoft kumo, Microsoft's Kumo: already a step behind?

Microsoft allies see to undermine Windows in Netbooks, mobile

It’s hard to be friends with an 800-pound gorilla without getting stepped on from time to time. It’s perhaps not surprising, therefore, that some of Microsoft’s closest Windows allies are reportedly seeking to undermine their hegemonic partner with Linux initiatives in Netbooks and laptops.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Hewlett-Packard and other personal computer manufacturers are testing Google Android for Netbooks and other mobile PC devices in a bid to boost margins that otherwise get consumed by Windows license fees. These PC manufacturers are seeking to have more control and money in the growing mobile computing market.

While Microsoft has been dismissive of Linux in this and other consumer markets, it may have met its match in Google Android. There are two reasons.

First, as ComputerWorld suggests, Google’s brand might be enough to carry Linux in the PC market. Consumers know Google. They might not proactively seek out a Linux PC, but a Google PC…? Feasible.

Second, Google can afford to seriously undercut Microsoft’s Windows pricing because Google doesn’t charge for Android. This is good for PC manufacturers that are looking to make more money in margin-squeezed Netbooks, and it’s terrible for Microsoft for the very same reason. Google has shifted the competitive terrain under Microsoft’s feet. By focusing value (and revenue) in the browser, Google has finally given Microsoft cause to fear the Linux PC.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft’s primary partner for Linux interoperability, Novell, is setting up a Taiwanese R&D team to focus on improving Linux for Netbooks.

If Microsoft can’t count on Novell and its PC manufacturer partners to play nicely, who can it trust?

Filed under: Microsoft , Microsoft, mobile, netbook, notebook, windows

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo Back New Online Ad Guidelines

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has launched a code of practice for targeted online advertising services that track users browsing habits in a bid to display personalised adverts.

Tech companies AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the firms that agreed to the Good Practice Principles, along with controversial targeted advertising system Phorm. The service has already created a great deal of controversy in the UK, in particular when BT trialled the service on 30,000 web users without their knowledge.

By signing the self-regulatory code of practice, the tech firms have agreed to inform the consumer they are collecting data regarding their online activities, as well as offer the ability for the web user to decline to take part. The guidelines also require companies to educate consumers about the use of their data and how to opt-out.

The move follows the announcement that BT is likely to roll-out Phorm to all of its customers, following a trial of 10,000 web users last year. However, BT has not said when this might happen.

“The IAB has gone to great lengths to ensure that the industry protects and educates consumers on their rights and choices,” said Nick Stringer, head of regulatory affairs at the IAB.

“Behavioural advertising has clear benefits to consumers, delivering more relevant advertising and keeping most of the content and services we enjoy free of charge. However, it’s in its infancy and we need to let consumers know they are in control,” he said

Filed under: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo , ad guidelines, Google, google news, msn, MSN News, news, Online Ad Guidlines, Yahoo, Yahoo News

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo Back New Online Ad Guidelines

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has launched a code of practice for targeted online advertising services that track users browsing habits in a bid to display personalised adverts.

Tech companies AOL, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the firms that agreed to the Good Practice Principles, along with controversial targeted advertising system Phorm. The service has already created a great deal of controversy in the UK, in particular when BT trialled the service on 30,000 web users without their knowledge.

By signing the self-regulatory code of practice, the tech firms have agreed to inform the consumer they are collecting data regarding their online activities, as well as offer the ability for the web user to decline to take part. The guidelines also require companies to educate consumers about the use of their data and how to opt-out.

The move follows the announcement that BT is likely to roll-out Phorm to all of its customers, following a trial of 10,000 web users last year. However, BT has not said when this might happen.

“The IAB has gone to great lengths to ensure that the industry protects and educates consumers on their rights and choices,” said Nick Stringer, head of regulatory affairs at the IAB.

“Behavioural advertising has clear benefits to consumers, delivering more relevant advertising and keeping most of the content and services we enjoy free of charge. However, it’s in its infancy and we need to let consumers know they are in control,” he said

Filed under: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo , ad guidelines, Google, Microsoft, msn, Yahoo

Microsoft Readies Vista Update

Microsoft has released an almost final version of Vista Service Pack 2 to its testing community.

 

The release candidate of Vista SP2 is not yet publicly available, but judging by past releases you may not have to wait too long before the official update ships.

The timeline so far

Microsoft released the beta version of SP2 to its testing community in late October, and made SP2 beta publicly available in early December. Then the update seemed to suffer some setbacks when, in late January, reports surfaced that Microsoft wouldn’t be coming out with a release candidate of SP2 until at least March. A week later, however, Redmond surprised the tech world by releasing the updated service pack to a select group of testers. Now Microsoft’s significantly larger testing pool reportedly has the near-final version of SP2. Judging by the timeline from SP2 beta, a final version could be ready to go within in the next 4 to 6 weeks; however, the Malaysian blog TechARP, which has been right about Microsoft timetables before, believes Vista SP2 will start shipping around April or May of this year.

New features

Vista SP2 is largely about improving performance, and in addition to the contents of Vista SP1, the new update includes 691 hotfixes, significant performance improvements and a Service Pack clean up tool that will recover some hard disk space used by previous Vista updates.

However, Microsoft has included a few goodies that you’ll notice once SP2 is ready to go:

• Windows Search 4.0 with faster searching and more relevant results
• The ability to record onto Blu-Ray Media through Vista instead of a third-party application
• Bluetooth 2.1 Feature pack to support emerging Bluetooth technology
• Simplified Wi-Fi configuration tool
• Improved file synchronization across time zones
• Support for new 64-bit CPUs from VIA technologies
• Improved performance for Wi-Fi connections after your computer comes out of sleep mode
• Improvements to DirectX multimedia with an improved graphics experience for gamers
• Better streaming capabilities for high-def audio and video
• Improved content protection for TV programs recorded with Windows Media Center

In addition to Vista SP2, Microsoft is also testing the release candidate for Windows Server 2008 SP2.

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Filed under: Microsoft , Microsoft Readies Vista Update, miscrosoft, miscrosoft vista, vista, vista update

Careful what you search for

Google recently released its annual rundown of popular searches for 2008 – what they call the “zeitgeist” list – and it’s a reminder, once again, of how much we reveal about ourselves every time we type into a search bar.

We’re interested in Obama, but we’re also extremely fond of posing questions to Google like, “what is love?” and “what is life?” (also popular in the “what is” category: “java” and “scientology”).

Search engines have become modern society’s version of an oracle – the place to ask all your questions, and after some churning of algorithms, something akin to an answer pops out.

source – www.cnn.com

Filed under: Google, Microsoft , aol, Google, internet, msn, search engine, Yahoo

Microsoft Releases Its First-ever IPhone Application

Microsoft’s first-ever iPhone application is a slick photo viewer with a browsing capability that handles a large number of photos on a mobile device screen.

The Seadragon mobile application is free through Apple’s application store. It a product of Microsoft’s Live Labs division, which focuses on developing Web-based technology and applications.

Seadragon incorporates the Deep Zoom feature, which is also integrated into Silverlight 2, Microsoft’s multimedia tool. It allows a user to quickly magnify a particular area of a photo, regardless of its size.

Microsoft said the aim of the mobile application is to let users view even wall-sized displays on a mobile device, regardless of the amount of bandwidth on the network.

Seadragon renders documents as little thumbnails, and a double-tap brings it into focus. A reverse pinch on the iPhone’s touch screen kicks in the Deep Zoom, revealing sharp detail.

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for more informations   — http://www.pcworld.com/article/155482/microsoft_releases_its_firstever_iphone_application.html

Filed under: Microsoft , application, iphone, Microsft, Microsoft