Microsoft launches upgraded search engine

After almost a year of beta testing, Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday has launched Live Search, its upgraded Net search engine in the United States and Britain. The new search engine is crafted to compete with offerings from rival online powerhouses Google and Yahoo, both of them far exceed Microsoft’s share of the Internet search engine market.

The Redmond based software maker has planned to launch its new Live.com search out of beta in 47 different world markets, and, for now, rolled out the release versions of Live Local Search in the UK and the US.

Microsoft announced that its “Live Search” online portal will complement MSN and Windows Live Internet-scouring services that attract an estimated 465 million users each month.

“The launch of Live Search is a significant milestone for our services business, with our core search and monetization platform ready for prime time for MSN and Windows Live as well as for partners through syndication deals,” said Christopher Payne, corporate Vice President of Microsoft Live Search in a statement. “We now have the base to weave search through our services in ways that bring value to customers. This is just the beginning. We look forward to continued investment in search to deliver services that bring new levels of control and personalization to the Web experience.”

Visitors had fiddled with test “beta” versions of Live Search and sent feedback to the Microsoft, which said it considered suggestions and complaints to upgrade the software. The software giant has been testing and phasing in “Windows Live” software since late last year.

The new search engine is expected to give more accurate search results than its predecessor and will power the search functions on MSN, the company's media and entertainment portal.

Live Search’s website, www.live.com, opens to a clean, uncluttered page with a query box near the center. It is an integral part of the Microsoft Windows Live experience.

Visitors of the Live.com home page can use Live search to explore and keep tabs on the latest RSS feeds, images, news, video, and blogs. The search engine features enhanced uses of “bird’s-eye imagery” and compatibility with “smart phones” and other computer devices, according to the software company.

Moreover, users can personalize their own Live.com page and use it to track news, weather, video, RSS feeds and blogs.

Over the period of the beta, Microsoft has crafted a number of improvements including a better user interface, related searches, and the initial iterations of Live’s image and video search. Live Local Search, which lets people see a bird's eye view of cities and provides maps, will also be released from beta, but only in the US and UK.