Microsoft To Roll MSN Search; May Sport Desktop Search

According to a number of media outlets, including the The New York Times, the Reuters wire service, and the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft will debut a beta version of its under-development MSN Search Thursday. Currently, Microsoft's MSN Web portal uses Yahoo's search engine to deliver results.

Previously, Microsoft had promised that it would unveil its own search engine, complete with internally-developed algorithms and an index built by its own spiders, before the end of the year. Twice this year it's shown early working versions of the technology on its <>Sandbox site, most recently a second demonstration that began early last month.

Microsoft enters a field already packed with extraordinary competition, said one search analyst.

"No matter what it shows, Microsoft's biggest challenge is gaining mindshare," said Gary Price with SearchEngineWatch.com. "Google is so damn good at building and keeping mindshare that Microsoft's technology could be wonderful and it'll still have a challenge getting people to look at it."

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Although Microsoft remained mum on the details of MSN Search -- a spokesperson declined to comment early Wednesday, saying all "MSN Search Beta coverage is speculation" -- Price said detective work late last month gave him some idea of what features the new engine might have.

While using the MSN Search preview, Price followed the trail of cached pages to a Microsoft page caching server. There he found hints in the interface of features that MSN might include. The search page on the caching server is now offline, but Price has posted screenshots and descriptions in a blog on SearchEngineWatch.com.

Among the features he spotted was a top-of-the-page link labeled "PC." Although that link reverted to the MSN toolbar when Price found it on the page caching server, "this could be where they'll offer up some type of desktop search tool," he wrote in the blog.

It's possible that Microsoft will release desktop search along with the beta of MSN Search, since Microsoft has promised it would soon offer tools for searching local hard drives.

Google's already beaten Microsoft to the punch here as well; last month it released a beta edition of Google Desktop Search.

Other MSN Search feature hints that Price found in his scouring of the page caching server included a trio of sliders for manipulating page rankings and something called "Search Builder," which lets users add search terms, and limit searches by domain or language.

"We'll have to take a look at the features when it rolls out," said Price, "but these are things that could be in MSN Search."

But Price isn't bullish on Microsoft's ability to unseat Google. "Google's just done so many things right," he said, "and frankly, it was at the right place at the right time, too.

"Getting people to switch, that's going to be a challenge &#91;for Microsoft&#93;," he concluded. "Most people are completely satisfied with Google, and just getting them to look at something else will be tough."