Bing, News Corp Talks Offer Hope for Media

Copyright-protected content will be available for free online in new NBC-News Corp. partnernship

(NEWSER) - TV biggies NBC Universal and News Corp. are teaming up to hit YouTube with the full force of their their combined TV content, offered online for free. Starting this summer, AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and News Corp. subsidiary MySpace will hope to win over internet users (and the advertising that goes with them) with shows like 24 and Heroes. More»

Apple looks to cooperate with Microsoft as Google rivalry heats up

(NEWSER) - In a sign of just how tense Apple’s rivalry with Google has gotten, the software giant is in talks with archrival Microsoft to make Bing the primary search engine on the iPhone. The negotiations have been underway for weeks, sources tell Businessweek. “Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy,” says an anonymous Apple insider. “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.” More»

$25M search deals with Microsoft, Google push it barely into black

(NEWSER) - Twitter will be marginally profitable this year thanks to deals with Google and Microsoft that open up the social networking site’s streams to those companies’ search engines. The agreement with Google is worth about $15 million, while the Microsoft partnership should net Twitter around $10 million. The short message site is thought to have operating expenses between $20 million and $25 million. More»

(NEWSER) - Wondering what the Microsoft/Yahoo pact will mean for you, the tech-loving consumer? Probably not much, writes Todd Weiss for PC World. His reasons:

• “I tried Bing, I played with Bing, I experienced Bing, but Bing, you’re no Google search,” Weiss opines. Even with Yahoo’s help, and even with its interesting features, Bing isn’t going to change the habits of the Google-loving masses.

Helpful features make Microsoft's search engine more than a Google copy

(NEWSER) - It's easy to mock Bing as Microsoft's latest attempt to rip off a competitor. Bloggers, in fact, have christened the search engine "But It's Not Google." That’s actually true, writes David Pogue in the New York Times. "In many ways, Bing is better." Here's how:

• When you hover your mouse over a search result, Bing opens a pop-up window that displays the first few paragraphs. Saves time clicking on dead ends.