SEATTLE – Microsoft Corp.’s Web search technology, debuting in test form Thursday in 11 languages, promises to answer plain-language questions and give results tailored to a user’s region, among other features the company hopes will help it catch market leader Google Inc.
Redmond-based Microsoft has long offered a search engine on its MSN Web site, but the technology behind it is powered by subsidiaries of Yahoo Inc. Earlier this year, Microsoft executives conceded the company made a mistake by not developing its own technology. By then, it had already begun an aggressive, $100 million effort to make up for lost time.
Microsoft’s technology will initially be available only on a special test site. Adam Sohn, a director with Microsoft’s MSN online division, said users who visit the MSN’s regular search site will gradually begin to see the new search engine. But Sohn doesn’t expect the company to completely move to its own technology until early next year, when it may add more features.
Microsoft also plans to offer a test version of its hotly anticipated technology for searching desktop computers before the end of the year. Google has already beat Microsoft to the desktop, launching its desktop search engine in October.
Just because Microsoft is coming late to the party doesn’t mean it won’t pose a formidable threat to Google, Yahoo and others.
Google loyalists may not be willing to consider switching, but principal analyst Charlene Li with Forrester Research said Microsoft’s search offering has many features likely to appeal to users who don’t care about particular brands.
A feature called “Search Near Me” guesses where users are located based on their Internet connections and seeks to provide results nearby. Another feature promises to answer plain-language questions such as “What is the capital of Germany?” by culling through Microsoft’s Encarta encyclopedia.
Google also offers a localized search function, with users telling the search engine where they are. And it has a “Google Answers” site, where researchers provide data for a minimum fee of $2.50. Microsoft’s version is free but not as tailored.
Microsoft also says its site will pore over more than 5 billion Web documents, compared with about 4.3 billion for Google.
Li said Microsoft has another advantage in that many users already visit its MSN Web site and are familiar with other products such as its dominant Windows operating system or Hotmail e-mail. Conversely, Microsoft appears poised to use its search site to promote some of its other products.
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