SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. has unveiled the full-release version of its search engine, turning up the heat on Web search leader Google Inc.
The world's largest software maker also revamped its MSN.com Web portal to make its search engine more prominent and also tweaked the site's content and advertising to remove clutter, said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's vice president in charge of content and services at the MSN Internet division.
At stake are advertising dollars as well as bragging rights in one of the technology industry's more interesting growth areas.
"We really are about answers and not about links," Mehdi told Reuters, taking a swipe at MSN Search's nearest competitors, which also include Yahoo Inc. (Research)
"There's a huge amount of room for improvement" in online searches, Mehdi said.
To make answers to factual questions more relevant, Mehdi said MSN Search would include the full range of information contained in Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft's electronic encyclopedia.
Users will be able to get definitions, calculations, geographical and historical information, and other information, and also view encyclopedia articles and content for any two-hour session via MSN Search.