Microsoft, HP Enter Live Search Agreement For New PCs
"This agreement with HP is a strategic indicator of our increased focus on securing broad-scale distribution for Live Search," said Kevin Johnson, president of the PlatformsServices Division at Microsoft, in a statement. "This is the most significant distribution deal for Live Search that Microsoft has ever done, and we are very pleased to be partnering with HP to help bring Live Search to millions of consumers across North America."
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft plans to build a custom, Live Search-enabled toolbar for HP customers using Microsoft Silverlight. Aimed at businesses, Silverlight is a cross browser, cross platform and cross device plug-in for .NET-based media and interactive applications for the Internet, such as advanced streaming and deep zoom technology. Current third-party Silverlight clients include the NBA, Major League Baseball and ET Online in the U.S. and Vodofone and BMW in Germany, among other global customers.
The Live Search-enabled toolbar is expected to provide HP with customization capabilities within the buttons on the toolbar, and enable users access to various online services and tools, such as Snapfish by HP, the company's online photo printing service as well as HP customer support.