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Microsoft To Rebrand Live Search

Microsoft is once again rebranding its search engine, TechCrunch says, citing a Microsoft source. The software giant plans to rename Windows Live Search sometime early next year, and "Kumo", a Japanese word meaning "cloud" or "spider" is apparently the frontrunner, according to the blog LiveSide. Microsoft recently purchased the Kumo.com domain name.

According to TechCrunch, very few people inside Microsoft are privy to the pending change, and "Kumo" has not been confirmed, although a source claims that a final decision about the new name has been made.

Michael Arrington wonders why Microsoft would go to the trouble of rebranding its search engine again? After all, he says, Live.com now has several different services under its umbrella, including a recently expanded social network. According to company insiders, Live.com is evolving more into a social network and cloud-based computing services portal, while search "belongs somewhere else, and it definitely needs a fresh start."

So what about "Kumo?" GigaOm's Om Malik doesn't think much of the new name. He writes: "It is taking a bit of self-control on my part to not be mean-spirited about this rumored effort. If true, it would be yet another sign of Microsoft's bumbling efforts when it comes to search."

Read the whole story at TechCrunch/GigaOm »

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