Motorola Inc has reached a deal with Microsoft Corp that will put Bing search and mapping services on its phones that use Google's
Android operating system.
Motorola said the partnership with Microsoft means that a Bing bookmark and search widget will be loaded on cell phones, starting in the coming weeks with phones in China.
The move follows shortly after Motorola struck a similar deal to let consumers in China use Baidu Inc, among others, as the default Web search instead of Google on Android based phones.
The partnerships come against a backdrop of Google's dispute with China over censorship, which, if it leads to Google withdrawing from the country, could cause big headaches for Motorola.
That's because Motorola is banking on its ties to Google's Android and its sales in China to help in a big turnaround effort. Having search alternatives on the Android phones should lessen Motorola's dependence on Google, in China or elsewhere, analysts have said.
Economictimes.indiatimes.com
Showing posts with label Microsoft Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft Technology. Show all posts
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, September 14, 2009
Bing 2.0 Is Coming
Bing 2.0 is coming! – The 2nd version of Bing search engine is most probably coming out on test as from next week. As you probably already know, Microsoft’s Bing has been launched some months ago and from we can see there are some really welcoming reviews about it.
However even with the high advertising and marketing of Bing, Google is still the best and most used search engine right now. In fact Google still rules a giant part of the Search Engine territory.
Microsoft however recently announced the arrival of a new updated version of Bing modified with some new and cool functionality for soon. A demo of the new Bing search engine is expected by the end of next week while the full release is expected in some weeks.
Microsoft has not given more details about this event.
Source:http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/09/bing-2-0/
However even with the high advertising and marketing of Bing, Google is still the best and most used search engine right now. In fact Google still rules a giant part of the Search Engine territory.
Microsoft however recently announced the arrival of a new updated version of Bing modified with some new and cool functionality for soon. A demo of the new Bing search engine is expected by the end of next week while the full release is expected in some weeks.
Microsoft has not given more details about this event.
Source:http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/09/bing-2-0/
Friday, August 14, 2009
Microsoft releasing Outlook for Mac goodbye to Entourage
With the Microsoft's announcement of releasing Outlook for Mac, Mac users will get to enjoy a version of Outlook finally. Microsoft will replace Entourage available in Office 2008 to Outlook for Mac in 2010.
The interim version of Entourage will be included in the newly announced Business Edition of Office 08, which will be available for pre-order starting August 18th and will launch on September 15th. Pricing will run $399.95 for a new copy of Business Edition, $239.95 for a Business Edition upgrade. Few of the features included in the new Outlook includes ;
i) Cocoa: Built from the ground up using Cocoa providing users with improved integration with the Mac OS.
ii) New database: A high-speed file-based database with support for backing up files with Time Machine and Spotlight searching.
iii) Information Rights Management: Helps prevent sensitive information from being distributed to or read by people who do not have permission to access the content.
The release comes as part of a new business edition of Mac Office designed to provide Mac users with better connection to Microsoft Exchange Server and improved compatibility across platforms. Microsoft’s Mac unit is also building the Outlook software from the ground up to ensure compatibility with Mac’s backup and hard-drive search features.
The interim version of Entourage will be included in the newly announced Business Edition of Office 08, which will be available for pre-order starting August 18th and will launch on September 15th. Pricing will run $399.95 for a new copy of Business Edition, $239.95 for a Business Edition upgrade. Few of the features included in the new Outlook includes ;
i) Cocoa: Built from the ground up using Cocoa providing users with improved integration with the Mac OS.
ii) New database: A high-speed file-based database with support for backing up files with Time Machine and Spotlight searching.
iii) Information Rights Management: Helps prevent sensitive information from being distributed to or read by people who do not have permission to access the content.
The release comes as part of a new business edition of Mac Office designed to provide Mac users with better connection to Microsoft Exchange Server and improved compatibility across platforms. Microsoft’s Mac unit is also building the Outlook software from the ground up to ensure compatibility with Mac’s backup and hard-drive search features.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Microsoft to Open Retail Stores This Fall
Well, this is going to be fun! Microsoft, after dominating the operating system market, office software, is all set to rule the retail store front now. Microsoft, who hired former Wal-Mart exec David Porter to be its corporate vice president of retail stores back in February, has just confirmed that stores are, indeed, on the way -- and soon. COO Kevin Turner, confirmed the plans at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans yesterday, saying they're due to open this fall - just in time for the Windows 7 October 22 launch time frame.
Many of the Microsoft stores will open up right near Apple stores to compete with the popular Apple retail chains. Microsoft is slow to get into the market of having its own retail chain, which will sell all of their own products, much like Sony and Apple currently do.
Microsoft will soon set its foothold in the retail industry by opening up stores to sell their wide range of products, including both software and hardware, games and more. You can expect the entire range of Microsoft products from Windows OS, Office products to games, game consoles, computer devices, music devices and more in store. They have been manufacturing all kind of products, so it makes more sense for them to have their own retail units. This makes sense since they could achieve their ultimate objective of garnering more sales and profits in their own stores, than they would in a third party store, who have their own margins, thus making the final profits a bit lower.
The retail chains will be able to directly assist customers with their Microsoft purchases, rather than having large retail chains like Bestbuy sell Microsoft products.
Many of the Microsoft stores will open up right near Apple stores to compete with the popular Apple retail chains. Microsoft is slow to get into the market of having its own retail chain, which will sell all of their own products, much like Sony and Apple currently do.
Microsoft will soon set its foothold in the retail industry by opening up stores to sell their wide range of products, including both software and hardware, games and more. You can expect the entire range of Microsoft products from Windows OS, Office products to games, game consoles, computer devices, music devices and more in store. They have been manufacturing all kind of products, so it makes more sense for them to have their own retail units. This makes sense since they could achieve their ultimate objective of garnering more sales and profits in their own stores, than they would in a third party store, who have their own margins, thus making the final profits a bit lower.
The retail chains will be able to directly assist customers with their Microsoft purchases, rather than having large retail chains like Bestbuy sell Microsoft products.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Bing Vs. Search Engines : A New War About to Heat Up
Microsoft launched Bing at the beginning of the month, after a lengthy development period and months of internal testing. And with the unveiling of Microsoft's new search engine “Bing”, the battle in the field of search engine has heated up. For Microsoft it is not just about reinventing its search engine, but also about delivering a new consumer brand. The search engine is pretty different in respect of user experience.
Bing is all about the users preferences. It is build with a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions. Usually search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they are unable to let them use the information they find. And now Bing is here to solve all these problems. Bing yields more relevant and more up-to-date search results.
Bing is not just about reinventing a search engine but it also promise a new brand in the market. Microsoft has acknowledged repeatedly that Live Search suffered from a branding perspective, and Bing is the answer.
Bing is positioned as a filter for the information overload users have to navigate with traditional search engines. Bing aims for an increased relevancy, a new way to organize search results, task simplification and greater insight.
It is a story of déjà vu all over again. Reinventing the search engine is an attempt to make some progress in the search engine wars. The question is whether Bing will actually end up making any difference?
The challengers in the field of battle plays out as follows. Google controls a gigantic chunk of it and is looking dangerously aggressive regarding those parts it does not control. Microsoft controls a very small section of the field, but has hordes of ammunition [cash] and is looking for a way to use it. Yahoo has its own section, but is under siege and appears ripe for the taking. This leaves Microsoft and Google as the two main predators.
The biggest thing about Bing is the new search parameters. Microsoft has actually tried to create a new niche search approach. The Bing search function is tailored to four verticals to enhance the search results. They include the buying decision, finding local businesses, making health decisions and planning trips. Put another way, the engine is designed to emphasize product purchases, health, local businesses and travel, which just happen to be four of the bigger niches on the web.
Google has always relied on the pillar of its search engine. Generally, Google is viewed as the best when it comes to producing quality results. Although the last Microsoft search engine, wasn't terrific, but wsith Bing, it hopes to change that.
Whether users will end up binging over googling will confirm or deny the relevance of Microsoft's efforts in search. Both the tools proves that the user experience for both searchengines is different, in many ways. Fact is Bing is hard on changing everything, and the Search Wars are heating up. Think on this.
Bing is all about the users preferences. It is build with a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions. Usually search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they are unable to let them use the information they find. And now Bing is here to solve all these problems. Bing yields more relevant and more up-to-date search results.
Bing is not just about reinventing a search engine but it also promise a new brand in the market. Microsoft has acknowledged repeatedly that Live Search suffered from a branding perspective, and Bing is the answer.
Bing is positioned as a filter for the information overload users have to navigate with traditional search engines. Bing aims for an increased relevancy, a new way to organize search results, task simplification and greater insight.
It is a story of déjà vu all over again. Reinventing the search engine is an attempt to make some progress in the search engine wars. The question is whether Bing will actually end up making any difference?
The challengers in the field of battle plays out as follows. Google controls a gigantic chunk of it and is looking dangerously aggressive regarding those parts it does not control. Microsoft controls a very small section of the field, but has hordes of ammunition [cash] and is looking for a way to use it. Yahoo has its own section, but is under siege and appears ripe for the taking. This leaves Microsoft and Google as the two main predators.
The biggest thing about Bing is the new search parameters. Microsoft has actually tried to create a new niche search approach. The Bing search function is tailored to four verticals to enhance the search results. They include the buying decision, finding local businesses, making health decisions and planning trips. Put another way, the engine is designed to emphasize product purchases, health, local businesses and travel, which just happen to be four of the bigger niches on the web.
Google has always relied on the pillar of its search engine. Generally, Google is viewed as the best when it comes to producing quality results. Although the last Microsoft search engine, wasn't terrific, but wsith Bing, it hopes to change that.
Whether users will end up binging over googling will confirm or deny the relevance of Microsoft's efforts in search. Both the tools proves that the user experience for both searchengines is different, in many ways. Fact is Bing is hard on changing everything, and the Search Wars are heating up. Think on this.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Microsoft Bing A Hit, At Least With Live Search Users
While Microsoft's "decision engine" claimed 6% of search engine queries only hours after launch, it doesn't seem to be denting Google's overwhelming market share.
Microsoft's new "decision engine," Bing, appears to be a hit: It handled as many as 6% of search queries worldwide only hours after launch and is currently processing more than 5% of search queries globally, according to Net Applications.
But most of the market-share gain seen by Bing is coming from the cannibalization of Microsoft's legacy search services, MSN Search and Windows Live Search.
That's to be expected given that Microsoft's other search services now redirect users to Bing. But it does little to support Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's claim that search engines "don't do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find."
If search engines like Google and Yahoo aren't effective, one would expect an exodus, were a better alternative presented.
Bing may be having some impact on the number of Google users, but if so, the impact is negligible. On successive days at 10 p.m. EDT, starting on May 26 and ending June 1 -- when Bing's availability was widely reported -- Google showed search share statistics of 63.19%, 63.09%, 62.30%, 62.71%, 62.49%, 62.02%, and 62.27%, as measured by Net Applications.
While this could be a slight decline in usage, it could also be just a normal fluctuation for Google. Consider that on May 23 at 10 p.m. EDT, Google's search share was 62.09%. And on May 13 at 10 p.m. EDT, well before Bing was launched, Google's search share was 59.46%.
In May, the global search market share for Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft came to 81.50%, 9.39%, and 5.43% respectively, according to Net Applications.
Another Web metrics firm, ComScore, put the April U.S. search market share figures at 64.20% for Google, 20.40% for Yahoo, and 8.20% for Microsoft.
Consumer reaction to Bing appears to be mixed. A discussion of Bing's merits and drawbacks on online community site MetaFilter includes dismissals like this: "It's like the newer Zune. It's not all that much worse than the market leader. But why bother changing? Being pretty much the same as the market leader is insufficient when you aren't the market leader."
But the discussion also includes affirmations like: "My own preliminary tests on relatively obscure searches ... turn up results that are as good as Google. ... It is a massive undertaking, and I am impressed with the results."
For Microsoft, the challenge now becomes winning over those who weren't using Windows Live Search and MSN Search already.
More Information: http://www.informationweek.com/
Microsoft's new "decision engine," Bing, appears to be a hit: It handled as many as 6% of search queries worldwide only hours after launch and is currently processing more than 5% of search queries globally, according to Net Applications.
But most of the market-share gain seen by Bing is coming from the cannibalization of Microsoft's legacy search services, MSN Search and Windows Live Search.
That's to be expected given that Microsoft's other search services now redirect users to Bing. But it does little to support Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's claim that search engines "don't do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find."
If search engines like Google and Yahoo aren't effective, one would expect an exodus, were a better alternative presented.
Bing may be having some impact on the number of Google users, but if so, the impact is negligible. On successive days at 10 p.m. EDT, starting on May 26 and ending June 1 -- when Bing's availability was widely reported -- Google showed search share statistics of 63.19%, 63.09%, 62.30%, 62.71%, 62.49%, 62.02%, and 62.27%, as measured by Net Applications.
While this could be a slight decline in usage, it could also be just a normal fluctuation for Google. Consider that on May 23 at 10 p.m. EDT, Google's search share was 62.09%. And on May 13 at 10 p.m. EDT, well before Bing was launched, Google's search share was 59.46%.
In May, the global search market share for Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft came to 81.50%, 9.39%, and 5.43% respectively, according to Net Applications.
Another Web metrics firm, ComScore, put the April U.S. search market share figures at 64.20% for Google, 20.40% for Yahoo, and 8.20% for Microsoft.
Consumer reaction to Bing appears to be mixed. A discussion of Bing's merits and drawbacks on online community site MetaFilter includes dismissals like this: "It's like the newer Zune. It's not all that much worse than the market leader. But why bother changing? Being pretty much the same as the market leader is insufficient when you aren't the market leader."
But the discussion also includes affirmations like: "My own preliminary tests on relatively obscure searches ... turn up results that are as good as Google. ... It is a massive undertaking, and I am impressed with the results."
For Microsoft, the challenge now becomes winning over those who weren't using Windows Live Search and MSN Search already.
More Information: http://www.informationweek.com/
Friday, May 29, 2009
Microsoft's 'Bing' for internet search
To assert its presence in the internet search space, Microsoft has come up with 'Bing'- a new search service that promises to help customers make better decisions.
The software giant's latest foray into internet search arena comes after many attempts to challenge the dominance of Google.
Bing would go live on June 3, Microsoft said in a statement.
Terming it as a 'Decision Engine', the firm noted the new search service would help customers to make better decisions.
Bing would initially focus on four key areas: "making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business".
The software major is yet to make a mark in the internet search space and has lost ground to main competitors Google and Yahoo!.
Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer feels that today's search do a decent job of finding information but don't do a "very good job" of enabling people to make use the information they find.
"Bing is an important first step forward in our long term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information... (to) make smart decisions".
Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
The software giant's latest foray into internet search arena comes after many attempts to challenge the dominance of Google.
Bing would go live on June 3, Microsoft said in a statement.
Terming it as a 'Decision Engine', the firm noted the new search service would help customers to make better decisions.
Bing would initially focus on four key areas: "making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business".
The software major is yet to make a mark in the internet search space and has lost ground to main competitors Google and Yahoo!.
Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer feels that today's search do a decent job of finding information but don't do a "very good job" of enabling people to make use the information they find.
"Bing is an important first step forward in our long term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information... (to) make smart decisions".
Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Microsoft to launch experimental search site
In the next several months Microsoft expects to launch an experimental search site called Viveri, designed to allow the company's researchers to easily roll out new search ideas.
Currently, it's difficult for researchers to try out their ideas in the real world, said Robert Rounthwaite, software architect at Microsoft Research. He showed off Viveri on Tuesday in Redmond, Washington, at the company's annual TechFest event, where researchers demonstrate and discuss their latest developments.
Microsoft researchers working on new search technologies will be able to quickly and easily load their developments on Viveri and anyone in the public can try them out. After an initial spike in users, Rounthwaite expects that a regular set of technology enthusiasts will continue to use the site because they'll be interested in experimenting with new developments.
The site will serve Live Search results and is being built using Silverlight, Microsoft's technology for designing online user interfaces.
Rounthwaite expects that initial innovations will be rolled out in a staggered fashion, but he showed off a few that users can expect to see.
One technology aims to better deliver search results from vertical search engines. When a user types a search item into the field, a typical list of results pops up. But on the right hand side of the screen several boxes appear. Each box contains results from within a specific domain that is relevant to the search term. The domain could be, for instance, Amazon.com, Craigslist, Consumer Reports or WebMD, depending on relevancy.
One problem with that idea is that some of those sites don't use standard query mechanisms so Microsoft can't return results. Rounthwaite optimistically said that if the sites knew that Microsoft was hoping to deliver such information, they'd make the necessary changes to be included.
Another test feature is a box that appears at the top of the right column that includes related search terms scattered around the box in bold multicolored text. Microsoft hopes that users will be more apt to see and click on those terms than if they were arranged in a simple list.
The researchers are also working on a new take on the "similar pages" link that appears in Google search results. Rather than using that vague description, the researchers have developed a way to display a more specific phrase. For example, if a user searches for "Disney," rather than seeing a link to similar pages, the user will see specific search phrases like "Disneyland" in highlighted text. Clicking on that word will bring up a new search specific to Disneyland.
Rounthwaite couldn't say specifically when the site will go live, but he said he expects it to launch some time this summer.
Source:http://www.itworld.com/internet/63200/
Currently, it's difficult for researchers to try out their ideas in the real world, said Robert Rounthwaite, software architect at Microsoft Research. He showed off Viveri on Tuesday in Redmond, Washington, at the company's annual TechFest event, where researchers demonstrate and discuss their latest developments.
Microsoft researchers working on new search technologies will be able to quickly and easily load their developments on Viveri and anyone in the public can try them out. After an initial spike in users, Rounthwaite expects that a regular set of technology enthusiasts will continue to use the site because they'll be interested in experimenting with new developments.
The site will serve Live Search results and is being built using Silverlight, Microsoft's technology for designing online user interfaces.
Rounthwaite expects that initial innovations will be rolled out in a staggered fashion, but he showed off a few that users can expect to see.
One technology aims to better deliver search results from vertical search engines. When a user types a search item into the field, a typical list of results pops up. But on the right hand side of the screen several boxes appear. Each box contains results from within a specific domain that is relevant to the search term. The domain could be, for instance, Amazon.com, Craigslist, Consumer Reports or WebMD, depending on relevancy.
One problem with that idea is that some of those sites don't use standard query mechanisms so Microsoft can't return results. Rounthwaite optimistically said that if the sites knew that Microsoft was hoping to deliver such information, they'd make the necessary changes to be included.
Another test feature is a box that appears at the top of the right column that includes related search terms scattered around the box in bold multicolored text. Microsoft hopes that users will be more apt to see and click on those terms than if they were arranged in a simple list.
The researchers are also working on a new take on the "similar pages" link that appears in Google search results. Rather than using that vague description, the researchers have developed a way to display a more specific phrase. For example, if a user searches for "Disney," rather than seeing a link to similar pages, the user will see specific search phrases like "Disneyland" in highlighted text. Clicking on that word will bring up a new search specific to Disneyland.
Rounthwaite couldn't say specifically when the site will go live, but he said he expects it to launch some time this summer.
Source:http://www.itworld.com/internet/63200/
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