Microsoft to launch news, blog search services
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Expanding its push into the Internet search space, Microsoft said Friday that it plans to launch Internet search services for news and Web logs later this year.
The Redmond, Washington, company said it is working on a natural language search engine, dubbed MSN Answerbot. This service will take questions from users and find answers on the Internet, rivaling a similar service from Ask Jeeves. No release date for MSN Answerbot has been set.
MSN Newsbot will gather news from more than 4,000 sources worldwide. The service is being tested at http://newsbot.msn.com/. Google and Yahoo also offer news search services.
Microsoft is claiming a first with MSN Blogbot, a service that will let users search Web logs, or "blogs," personal-journal type Web pages that have become increasingly popular. Many consumers even use blogs as a news source, according to Microsoft.