Rivals launch Google challenges
Google shares were down more than 3 per cent yesterday after it confessed to accidentally including internal strategy notes in analyst day presentations. They predicted advertising revenues of Dollars 9.5bn this year subject to Google fighting off rivals.
Microsoft, its biggest rival, yesterday began testing a new version of its Windows Live search engine, which will replace the existing search engine at MSN.com.
It features a slider bar that reveals more or less detail on a found-website and a "smart scroll" function that can show all results without having to click through to the next page. Users can also customise their searches to include only their favourite websites.
Microsoft also announced a browser toolbar that allows customers to save, collect and share a web page. Microsoft has bought Onfolio, the company behind the technology, for an undisclosed sum.
"We’re unveiling a range of innovations that deliver an outstanding level of power and simplicity to search," said Christopher Payne, vice-president for Windows Live Search.
Accoona.com, a new internet search service, was also launched yesterday – led by Eckhard Pfeiffer, former chief executive of Compaq Computer. Gary Kasparov, world chess champion, is a shareholder and consultant.
Accoona, which has attracted more than Dollars 100m in backing from private investment funds, allows users to easily narrow their searches to particular sites, time periods, countries and other criteria to produce more relevant results. It is also launching a Chinese site in partnership with the China Daily publisher, and plans a European site.
Meanwhile, the established Blinkx search service has announced Pico "the world’s smallest search engine".
Pico is a downloadable program that sits on the desktop and automatically alerts users to information relevant to what they might be typing in an email or Word document.
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