Bink is reporting that MSN have shut down their search engine preview. The preview had been made available for members of the public to test it out. Developers left the following message :
"Thank you very much to all of those that tried our service and sent us feedback. We will make improvements based on the suggestions we received. Once we are ready, we will release another preview of our new algorithmic search engine. On a related note, we have a site that has previews and betas of upcoming MSN technologies: The MSN Sandbox. Visit the MSN Sandbox and try out our new MSN product ideas."
Microsoft's search engine is very important to them; the search engine market is one where they face an up-hill battle to win customers back from market leader, Google. Critics of Microsoft's search offering say that their service and results is inferior to that of Google. Clearly, a highly objective issue and something hard to validate either way.
However, one can draw on one very recent example of problems with MSN's existing search offering. A Microsoft technology evangelist, Robert Scoble, posted a blog entry about how the MSN search was superior to that of Google. Giving the example of a query on an API name, his suggestion was that it is not true that developer searches are better on Google than Microsoft. The query, ran on Google, correctly linked users to a relevant MSDN article on it. The MSN search, however, linked straight back to Robert Scobles blog entry on the subject.
Perhaps the system needs just a little more work.
View: Search : Closed | Existing MSN Search
View: Robert Scoble Blog Entry
"Thank you very much to all of those that tried our service and sent us feedback. We will make improvements based on the suggestions we received. Once we are ready, we will release another preview of our new algorithmic search engine. On a related note, we have a site that has previews and betas of upcoming MSN technologies: The MSN Sandbox. Visit the MSN Sandbox and try out our new MSN product ideas."
Microsoft's search engine is very important to them; the search engine market is one where they face an up-hill battle to win customers back from market leader, Google. Critics of Microsoft's search offering say that their service and results is inferior to that of Google. Clearly, a highly objective issue and something hard to validate either way.
However, one can draw on one very recent example of problems with MSN's existing search offering. A Microsoft technology evangelist, Robert Scoble, posted a blog entry about how the MSN search was superior to that of Google. Giving the example of a query on an API name, his suggestion was that it is not true that developer searches are better on Google than Microsoft. The query, ran on Google, correctly linked users to a relevant MSDN article on it. The MSN search, however, linked straight back to Robert Scobles blog entry on the subject.
Perhaps the system needs just a little more work.
View: Search : Closed | Existing MSN Search View: Robert Scoble Blog Entry
This leaves Nintendo, once again, with a lot of titles that are bound to gather critical acclaim - and almost certainly deservedly so - but with the exception of Metroid Prime 2 not that many that are likely to scythe through the competition during a hectic Christmas rush.
Any GBA owners bound to an elderly relative's couch this Christmas won't have too much to worry about, however, with a number of exciting titles due on the handheld - despite the impending launch of the Nintendo DS, which is due out in Europe in early 2005. In fact, it'll be interesting to see how GBA sales fare in the run-up to Christmas purely on that basis.
We'll be in the queue though, busily scrabbling to get hold of Mario Golf Advance Tour (Sept 17th), the eagerly awaited The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Nov 12th), Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nov 19th), and - for the sake of working out what it is more than anything - "Super Mario Ball" (Nov 26th). Square die-hards will be pleased to see Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls down for early December, too.
Key exclusives due out on Nintendo platforms in the run up to Christmas:
GameCube
Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$ - September 3rd
Animal Crossing - September 3rd
Pikmin 2 - October 8th
Donkey Konga - October 15th
Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door - November 12th
Tales of Symphonia - November 19th
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - November 26th
Game Boy Advance
Mario Golf Advance Tour - September 17th
Pokemon Leaf Green/Fire Red - October 1st
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - November 12th
Mario vs. Donkey Kong - November 19th
Super Mario Ball - November 26th
Mario Party Advance - December 3rd
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls - December 10th
http://sandbox.msn.com/
If Microsoft did too, they wouldn've have picked that logo.
Hope it comes out clear like this
They recently bought Lookout, and they only added the MSN butterfly to that logo.
Lookout - gmail.com if you want to try it out.
NewsBot - news.google.com if you want to try it out.
MSN Toolbar - toolbar.google.com if you want to try it out.
3 Degrees - blogger.com if you want to try it out.
NetScan - groups.google.com if you want to play with that.
Terraserver - go to google and type in your address.
Poor ol' Microsoft. I guess google's beaten them to the punch on damned near everything.
MSN Toolbar - Every other company are doing them stupid toolbars, so what?
3 Degree - Is not a blogger. More of an extra for MSN Messenger!
Terraserver - More advanced than that stupid "google it" way
And for the rest, so ****ing what? It's called COMPETITION!!
From Robert Scoble's blog:
"Just shows that I'll point out when a competitor of Microsoft does something better than we do."
Which is a UK tech news site not porn. Also lookout is freaking retarded open outlook then everything goes white for 5 secs then lookout loads.
Frist time it happen I thought Outlook was locked up.
Last edited by 50903 on 19 Aug 2004 - 17:19
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