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Comments on: Microsoft strikes deals for Live Search

Microsoft has scored deals with Dell and Verizon Wireless in an effort to get more people to use its Live Search product.

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by vtchuck2000 January 7, 2009 7:56 PM PST
I happen to like most of the MS products and own an XBOX 360 as well, but their Live Search SUCKS! I really tried hard to use it for a while and just couldn't bear the sorry results and had to go back to Google.
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by magicmaster January 7, 2009 8:22 PM PST
I can't get google off my head. In my own lexicon, to google is a verb referring to the act of searching the internet. If Live Search is to succeed, it must surpass google in EVERY aspect. Or Live Search may be dead one.
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by JRockDetroit1 January 8, 2009 1:43 AM PST
Live Search for Windows Mobile 6.1 ( I have a Q9) is a life saver. The fact that I can pull up businesses, addresses, phone numbers, and have contacts created instantly is amazing. That said, there are too many options for the pc, and I do not use it from my browser.
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by ppgreat January 8, 2009 5:45 AM PST
"The fact that I can pull up businesses, addresses, phone numbers, and have contacts created instantly is amazing."

That has nothing to do with Live Search.
by essinger January 8, 2009 7:26 AM PST
Live Search for Windows Mobile is a different product. When you do a search it give you the option of saving the results to contacts. I agree with JRockDetroit1 Live Search for WinMo is a great product, but Google on the desktop still gives better search results. Live Search is getting better though.
by freemarket--2008 January 8, 2009 5:21 AM PST
Typical MS tactic. If you can't get people to use your product on their own, make it the default and shove it down their throats.
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by NPGMBR January 8, 2009 6:49 AM PST
Yeah, it reminds me of people that make obvious statements against a particular company for a stragetic move that company makes, then ignore that other companies do the same thing. Typical Hater tactic!
by Jyakotu January 8, 2009 7:17 AM PST
Nothing wrong with Live Serach. I've used it and it gets the job done. It's just when I search for something, I just type in Google because that's what the average consumer is told to use. I mean, I also use Ask, Yahoo, Dogpile, and Live...but Google is just the main search engine for everyone.
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by myles taylor January 8, 2009 7:17 AM PST
It's a typical Microsoft tactic. Yes other companies do it too; it doesn't make it any better. It's more noticeable when Microsoft does it because they have a lot more clout, especially with OEMs.

I don't want to start an Apple vs Microsoft debate here, but look at what Apple did with the iPhone. The smartphone/phone markets had well entrenched players and it wasn't easy for Apple to get into it. However, with clever marketing and a lot of other things, they managed to do it. Microsoft's strategy might work and Live Search might be better than Google, but the point is that Microsoft shouldn't have to get people to use it by making it the default option. Deals like this is what have given market share to Microsoft in the past. I feel like they deal their way into market share instead of earning it. The fact that they're losing market share means people were using it and decided to switch to another search engine. What does that tell you?
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by killkill3 January 8, 2009 8:37 AM PST
I am now never buying a Dell computer, Why the hell would I want to use failed Microsoft Live applications, or Live search which is useless?
All they do is bloat up the OS by sucking Ram and CPU, no thanks M$
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by renGek January 8, 2009 10:45 AM PST
Have never used live search on the desktop because like coca cola, I default to google.

But live search mobile is awesome. I have 3 search apps on my cell and live search on it is much better than google and yahoo (distant 3rd).
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by Michael_Martinez January 8, 2009 12:40 PM PST
Microsoft is not losing search market share. The queries-performed metrics reported by Compete, comScore, Hitwise, and Nielsen are irrelevant to what is actually happening in the search market. Most people "google" themselves at Google and many Web site operators constantly check their search rankings at Google, so a huge proportion of Google's queries are informational (you can add phonebook searches, local business searchers, and other informational queries to the list).

Quantcast shows that an estimated 100,000,000 people used Microsoft search in November 2008, more than any other search engine except Google. Quantcast estimates 136,000,000 people used Google search in November. Google has consistently lost search audience as Microsoft has consistently built search audience over the past year. (Compete's publicly available data shows similar numbers when you look at search.msn.com and live.com.)

2009 may very well be the year that Microsoft surpasses Google in search audience, or they should come close.

Number of queries performed is not a useful metric for measuring search market share. A much preferable metric would be number of referrals sent to other sites. However, that data is not currently available.
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by chantelle_sa April 1, 2009 11:01 PM PDT
I used my husbands dash today, with windows live search, and within approx 1 minute, i had a whole bunch of results and by simply clicking on a link , it phoned the contact number and we were in business. thats what all mobile applications should be aiming for. to take the hunt and peck out of mobile browsing.. I have consequently decided not to purchase a samsung behold, but instead am going to purchase a windows based cell phone, just so that I can have the live search functionality. It is awesome!
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