Google ‘would love’ to replace Microsoft as Yahoo partner

Eric Schmidt

The whole Microsoft-Yahoo search saga has always felt like a soap opera, starting with Microsoft’s failed bid to acquire Yahoo in 2008, and continuing to the present-day shakiness of their search partnership. And here’s another potential plot twist. Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman and former chief executive, reportedly said during an appearance in Japan overnight… Read More…

Microsoft Bing takes a chip out of Google’s giant lead

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[Update: comScore changed its methods for collecting data in August, making the month-over-month comparisons invalid. The biggest change is in the combined total of Bing and Yahoo searches, as noted below.] Google’s share of the U.S. search market fell by 0.4 percentage points in the U.S. in August, while Microsoft Bing climbed by 0.2 percentage… Read More…

‘Bing it On’: Microsoft takes on Google in blind tests

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Microsoft’s underdog search engine, Bing, is launching the equivalent of a blind taste test for the search industry today, inviting searchers to compare its results against those of Google on queries of their choice. The “Bing It On” challenge, available here, will be marketed heavily by Microsoft in a new ad campaign as a way… Read More…

Search: Google boosts lead vs. Microsoft and Yahoo

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New numbers from comScore Networks show Google pulling further ahead of Microsoft Bing and Yahoo in the U.S. search market in May, claiming its largest lead over its competitors since December 2010. Google climbed to 66.7 percent of the market during the month, according to the comScore numbers. That was an increase of just 0.2 percentage… Read More…

Microsoft overhauls Bing with new ‘social sidebar,’ deepens Facebook ties

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Microsoft today previewed a new version of its Bing search engine, with elements including a “social sidebar” that lets users quickly tap the knowledge of their Facebook friends for advice and information related to a search — getting new insights on everything from restaurants to travel spots. The overhaul is Microsoft’s latest effort to leverage its… Read More…

Google keeps growing, and Yahoo slips further behind

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Google got even bigger in the U.S. search market in February – holding the top spot with 66.4 percent of the market and getting close to a new peak, according to new numbers from comScore Networks. But the bigger story is playing out at the bottom of the charts, where Yahoo continues to slip further behind… Read More…

Search by sketch: Microsoft seeks patent on ‘MindFinder’

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It’s a little like playing Pictionary with a search engine — drawing a sketch and seeing if the algorithm can return pictures that match it. That’s the concept behind Microsoft Research’s “MindFinder” project, which was adapted last year for a Windows Phone app dubbed Sketch Match. The technology is detailed in a patent application made… Read More…

Video: How social algorithms shape Microsoft’s msnNOW

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Microsoft’s new msnNOW portal combines data from social networks and search, along with some editorial judgment, to provide a view of the stories and topics generating the most buzz in online communities. During a briefing today on Microsoft’s campus, hosted by chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie, the company’s demos included a behind-the-scenes glimpse… Read More…

Microsoft Bing deepens Facebook integration with ‘Linked Pages’ feature

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Microsoft’s Bing search engine today launched a new feature called “Linked Pages” that gives people more control over which websites are connected to them, leveraging Microsoft’s partnership with Facebook. The feature lets users authenticate themselves using their Facebook credentials, and then determine which pages and sites their profiles are linked to in Bing search results…. Read More…