Windows Live Search, Other Updates

Windows Live Search has entered public beta, with feature and interface improvements that distinguish it from its predecessor, MSN Search. However, Microsoft’s search site continues to lose market share to competitors Google and Yahoo, and the latest improvements are unlikely to reverse that trend.

In other Windows Live news, Microsoft has acquired Onfolio and will incorporate its technology, which helps users aggregate Web material offline, into the new Windows Live Toolbar. It has also updated several other Windows Live services since their launches in late 2005.

Search Improvements

The public beta of Windows Live Search, which launched in Mar. 2006, has several interface changes that will help users scan results. For example, instead of forcing users to load new pages to view additional search results, Windows Live Search places all search results on a single page, then allows users to scroll quickly through those results with a slider. Paid search results from advertisers are automatically updated in the right column as the user scrolls—a feature that could improve the prominence of (and click-through revenue from) lower-priced advertisements.