Bing's Week 2: Not So Bad

$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»

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.

'Decision engine' gives users more control over results

(NEWSER) - Microsoft wants “Bing” to replace “Google” as your verb of choice for Internet search, PC World reports, with CEO Steve Ballmer unveiling the search engine today at a conference in California. Bing—already available for a test run—will be fully rolled out by Wednesday. The runner-up name was Kumo, Japanese for “cloud.” More»

Bing execs angrily deny cheating charges

(NEWSER) - Call it Nerd Wars II: The Empire Strikes Back. Microsoft angrily denied Google's recent claims that Bing has been copying Google's search results , calling the accusation "insulting," in a ratcheting up of tensions between the two computer giants. "We do not copy results from any of our competitors. Period. Full stop," said a blog post by Yusef Mehdi, a senior vice president at Microsoft, saying Google's accusations were a "publicity stunt." More»

Google antitrust complaints linked to rival

(NEWSER) - As Google faces a slew of antitrust suits from US and European companies with connections to rival Microsoft, the search engine giant believes Microsoft is "scouring court dockets around the world looking for complaints against Google into which they can inject themselves," a Google spokesman tells the Wall Street Journal . Microsoft denies waging a proxy battle against Google, but confirms that it is frequently contacted by and "encourages" parties with complaints about Google, according to a Microsoft spokesman. More»