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Microsoft tunes search feature
21/06/2005 14:11 - (SA)
Redmond - Catching up with rivals Google Inc and Yahoo Inc, Microsoft Corp on Monday unveiled an improved search service that delivers results tuned to users' location.
MSN Local Search delivers both the listings of local sites and a map that includes virtual pushpins indicating each location. It was expected to be available as a "beta" service starting late on Monday at search.msn.com.
Microsoft, the world's largest software company, has been in a race with online search firms Google and Yahoo to become the leading provider of tools to find content on the internet and present it in meaningful ways. Google and Yahoo both offer similar localised search services.
MSN Local Search gets its online maps from Microsoft's MapPoint Web Service and aerial images from TerraServer-USA, which is one of the world's largest online databases and is operated as a research project by Microsoft.
Microsoft also said its local search offering will eventually incorporate a technology called Virtual Earth that will allow results from multiple searches to be layered atop a single map.
"We remain committed to continuously improving our search service and today's local search beta release is just the beginning," said Christopher Payne, corporate vice president for MSN Search at Microsoft.
"With the addition of MSN Virtual Earth we are poised to take local search to the next level."
- AP
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