Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer told an economic summit in the US earlier this week that its new Bing search engine might not be an instant success. Nevertheless, he said the company was committed to challenging Google over the long term. Speaking at another conference earlier in the week, he said: 'There is no way to change the whole game in one step. But search deserves a good feature war.'
And war is what he will get. In a story headlined, ‘Fear grips Google', the New York Post reports that the launch of Microsoft's Bing search engine has so upset Google co-founder Sergey Brin that he has top engineers working on urgent upgrades to Google's service. Brin is said to be leading a team to determine how Microsoft's search algorithm differs from the closely guarded one Google employs. The tabloid also notes that it is rare for Google's co-founders to have such hands-on involvement in the company's daily operations.
Microsoft released a beta version of Bing on 4 June. Microsoft's strategy to develop a better seach engine seems to have two planks. The one that has aroused most media attention is the development of better search algorithms.
But the other - which may be more important in the shorter term - is the integration of all Microsoft's search technologies, including its Live Search offerings, behind one clean interface. Live Search includes Maps, Virtual Globe, 2D and 3D imagery. Microsoft is gathering extensive business listings and locations that will be integrated with these products.
Microsoft has selected four key tasks for bing: buying something, planning a trip, health, and finding a local business.
Source: www.asmmag.com
