Microsoft to Unveil Revamped Search Engine

Microsoft will likely show off its latest attempt at cobbling together a half decent search engine at next week's All Things Digital technology conference in Carlsbad, Calif.

According to clued up sources at the Wall Street Journal which sponsors the conference, the Vole will flaunt the latest version of its Internet search engine, in the hope that this one might actually snatch some market share back from the all-powerful Google.

The Redmond giant reportedly has been pottering about with private beta testing of its new search offering, codenamed Kumo, for months now. Kumo supposedly will vastly improve search result organisation, making it that much easier for users to find what they're looking for quickly.

Apparently Microsoft has found a way to group search results into more useful category chunks, so, say, if one were searching for a certain type of motorbike, the results would come back with online discussion forums, videos, classifieds and spare parts retailers all pertaining to that particular model.

The WSJ also reckons that the Vole will really push its new boat out sharply in order to launch its revamped search engine with as much pizzaz and buzz as it can muster.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of town, Yahoo was yesterday overheard plotting its own comeback, with the flailing Internet portal declaring that it too will be giving its search engine a facelift. Yahoo's souped-up search engine should allow users to better home in on specific data related to their searches by pulling up addresses, photos, videos and reviews rather than just links to websites.

Also, it remains to be seen whether a search partnership could still be in the works for YahVole!, after Microsoft walked away from a hard fought but fruitless battle to buy Yahoo last year for $45 billion.

It's thought the two may be able to come to some sort of agreement over search and advertising, whereby Yahoo would hand over a paper bag of tech secrets to Microsoft in exchange for some spare change and a sip of ad profits.

That doesn't sound like such a great deal, but considering Google's 64.2 per cent stranglehold on the Internet search market, Yahoo with its 20.4 per cent and Microsoft with just 8.2 per cent are both searching for ways to gain ground.