• Ross Fadner, Mar 18, 2009, 11:45 AM
  • Microsoft: Search 'Not Solved Yet' Ars Technica Many industry watchers don't think Microsoft stands a chance in search, so why does the software giant persist in chasing Google? In short, "search is not solved," says Microsoft search team member Stefan Weitz in an interview with Ars Technica's Emil Protalinski. "We're not at where we'd like to be."

    Weitz explains that people are generally happy with search until the data shows they are no longer happy with it. Well, in the last six to 12 months, Microsoft has learned that only about a quarter of users are satisfied with the results of their first query; about half either refine their query or start over altogether. Protalinski says this analysis is "actually spot on," though it may sound incorrect. "What Microsoft is saying here is that everyone should be able to find what they are looking for on their first attempt, every time," he says. Of course, "That's a goal Live Search is nowhere near reaching."

    Protalinski asks Weitz about three key problems the Live Search team is now trying to address with the new project, codenamed "Kumo." They are: relevance, dissatisfaction when hitting a roadblock while searching, and how to make a richer experience when you get results back. The last one is particularly interesting, as the layout of search results hasn't changed much at all in the last decade. Weitz says that Microsoft is hoping to "get beyond the 10 links" by rolling new features into Live Search that Google and Yahoo don't offer. Read the whole story...
  • Report: Google Doesn't Care About Social Networking Mediaweek In a research report, Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield makes a couple of startling conclusions about Google's attitude toward social networking: one, the search giant doesn't care about social networking; two, social networking is gradually making search less relevant.

    According to Greenfield, Google's algorithm isn't well-suited to social networking sites, which is why its search deal with MySpace isn't performing as well as expected. "Nine months have gone by since our note, with MySpace now having just over a year left on its search deal with Google...and Google has done nothing to improve its social search algorithms," Greenfield says in the report. "Increasingly it appears as though Google simply does not care about social search."

    Meanwhile, he adds that the basic functionality of sites like Facebook and Twitter is "diminishing the value of search," as users increasingly look for information by asking friends instead of Google. Read the whole story...
  • Report: Mobile Broadband Growth To Surge GigaOm ComScore this week reported that daily Web usage on mobile devices had doubled in the last 12 months, with nearly 22.4 million U.S. mobile using their devices to surf the mobile Web.

    According to another new study, demand for mobile broadband is only going to increase around the globe, in spite of the recession. Infonetics Research says that by 2013 there will be more than 1 billion mobile broadband users, versus 210.5 million at the end of 2008. And these will be connections using 3G technologies, notes GigaOm's Om Malik, who points out that sales of mobile broadband PC cards and 3G modules topped $4.1 billion in 2008 and show no signs of slowing down.

    This is particularly good news for mobile carriers, says Malik, which raked in $49.8 billion in mobile broadband revenue in 2008. Infonetics predicts that these revenue percentage increases will grow in the double digits over the next five years. If so, he says, the likes of AT&T need to improve their network quality. "Right now, buying a 3G from AT&T is like buying a confiscated car in an auction lot: You just don't know what you're going to get," he says. Read the whole story...
  • MySpaceID Becomes More Like Facebook Connect VentureBeat MySpace is once again following Facebook with new features it's adding to its MySpaceID distributed identity service. Similar to Facebook Connect, MySpaceID will now allow users to log into partner sites using their MySpace identities, see updates from their friends and publish information on those sites. The idea is to become more relevant to more people by making it easier for users and developers to access MySpace data from around the Web.

    "It's not clear how people will use these new tools, but an obvious use is for entertainment-related sites," says VentureBeat's Eric Eldon. MySpace has always been a major force in music, providing a platform for musicians and other celebrities to connect with fans. The new tools make it even easier for an artist to take their MySpace fan base with them to other sites. They also use open sharing methods to allow MySpace data to be integrated on a third-party site along with information from partners like Google and Plaxo. Using the music example, this effectively allows musicians to bring their fan bases from different sites together in one place.

    How does MySpace benefit from this? It's all about creating a way for third party sites to share information back with the home site, says Eldon. This way, a musician's fans may see that other fans are MySpace members, too, and decide to spend more time there. Eldon adds that what really sets MySpaceID apart from Facebook Connect is this focus on entertainment. Read the whole story...
  • Apple Unveils Virtual Goods Platform For IPhone Games VentureBeat VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi says Apple's new virtual goods platform for the iPhone "will likely produce a bonanza of revenues for game developers and publishers." The new platform should go live this summer once the new iPhone 3.0 software, which was also announced today, becomes available.

    As Takahashi notes, more than 2,000 of the 6,000-plus games on the iPhone are ad-supported applications, but it's "pretty hard" for developers to generate significant revenue from advertising alone. However, virtual goods models allow consumers to try games for free, paying only for add-ons like new levels, character customizations, or some sort of special power.

    As long as virtual goods are integrated well into the game, users have shown a willingness to make transactions. This model has worked particularly well in China and Korea, where concerns about game piracy led to the widespread deployment of virtual goods as a business model. Game companies have also made good use of it on social networks like Facebook. Now, they have the opportunity of doing so on the iPhone as well. Read the whole story...
  • Guide To New IPhone OS Gizmodo Read the whole story...
  • IBM Offers $6.5 Billion For Sun Microsystems Reuters Read the whole story...