Microsoft Live Search is one of the bigger search engines we have, but if it hadn’t been for the fact that all Windows operating systems use it by default it would probably be smaller. Google has despite that become synonymous with searching the web and even Yahoo! is beating Microsoft, especially in the USA. Microsoft hasn’t made any major updates of Live Search in quite a while, but it is now nearing the launch of its new engine code-named Kumo.
Microsoft will present the new Kumo search engine during the D: All Things Digital conference hosted by Wall Street Journal. Already the first information has appeared and there will be everything from cosmetic changes to deeper technological upgrades.
Among others a semantic search function that not only finds results based on the words you input, but also words that describe the content of the site.
A screenshot of Microsoft’s public Kumo testing
Microsoft will improve the Live Search brand and when the new search engine will go live (no pun intended, seriously) remains to be seen. But it sure sounds promising that Microsoft is taking the situation with its rather deficient search engine seriously.
Analyst Greg Sterling at Sterling Market Intelligence ad the following to say about the new search engine;
”I’ve been using the engine, and it’s definitely an improvement over Live Search. What will be as interesting as the launch itself will be to see how Microsoft tries to position and market the search engine”
