Goodbye Microsoft Live Search, Hello Bing - Page 2

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Decision engine targets key areas

Bing is based around what Microsoft refers to as a "decision engine." The company is going to start out with what executives hope are key areas where they can add value over other search engines. For example, initial versions of Bing will focus on four key areas of search -- shopping, travel, local companies, and health.

Within those areas, the idea is to provide an organized "experience" where all the information that a user would need -- say, for planning a trip -- is available in one place. Other features meant to enhance the experience include a "quick preview" function that lets a user hover over a link to provide a caption of what's at the link, as well as an "instant answer" capability that aims to provide all the needed information on a single results page.

"I like having flights and hotels and maps all in one place," Feldman said, who travels a lot for work.

As part of the rollout Microsoft said it will rebrand other technologies and services to fit the new Bing moniker. For example, Microsoft has renamed its mapping platform -- already well known as Microsoft Virtual Earth -- to Bing Maps for Enterprise. Microsoft also announced that its Live Search cashback shopping rebate program will be renamed Bing cashback.

According to a recent report in AdvertisingAge, Microsoft is launching an $80 million to $100 ad blitz to support introduction of the new branding and enhanced search engine.

"They're going to throw a lot of money at this," Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT told InternetNews.com. That may not be enough to challenge Google, (NASDAQ: GOOG) however. Also, Microsoft has a lot of its own inertia in the search marketplace that it has to overcome first.

"When most people think of search, Google is the first company that comes to mind," King said. "Google has become the status quo."

Bing includes technologies from existing Microsoft products such as its Virtual Earth mapping product, as well as recent acquisitions, including Powerset and Farecast. For instance, much of the travel information will be provided by Farecast , a startup the company purchased in 2008, now renamed Bing travel, which provides flight and hotel information. Also purchased in 2008, Powerset specialized in semantic language processing.

Meanwhile, Google appeared philosophical regarding Microsoft's Bing assault.

"We welcome competition that helps deliver useful information to users and expands user choice. Having great competitors is a huge benefit to us and everyone in the search space -- it makes us all work harder, and at the end of the day our users benefit from that," a Google spokesperson said in an e-mail to InternetNews.com.