Newsletter Archives

• Why can’t search just search?

  Posted on April 4, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Microsoft introduces “search highlights,” another feature we probably don’t want and didn’t ask for.

  In the April cumulative updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft will be bringing some changes to Windows’ desktop search. Unfortunately, it won’t fix what we really want fixed. Instead, it will be adding another feature we don’t want. The feature, called “search highlights,” began to roll out on March 22 to Windows 10 users who had installed the March 2022 preview update (KB5011543).

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.14.0, 2022-04-04).

  Patch Watch Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch, Search, Windows Search

• Bing? Microsoft pays money for this stuff?

  Posted on May 26, 2009 at 08:48 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  The latest edition of MSN Search, er, Windows Live Search, uh, Live Search, formerly code-named Kumo, has now emerged as Bing.

  Imagine. Instead of telling someone to “Google it,” you can now tell them to “Bing it.” Kinda has a nice, cheap and sleazy feel to it, eh?

  Advertising Age says that Microsoft will spend $80,000,000 for an advertising campaign designed to convince you to Bing it.

  People with knowledge of the planned push said the ads won’t go after Google, or Yahoo for that matter, by name. Instead, they’ll focus on planting the idea that today’s search engines don’t work as well as consumers previously thought by asking them whether search (aka Google) really solves their problems. That, Microsoft is hoping, will give consumers a reason to consider switching search engines, which, of course, is one of Bing’s biggest challenges.

  Maybe I’m old-fashioned (heck, maybe I’m the only sane one left), but I just can’t imagine having Internet Explorer sitting on my desktop, the search bar in the upper right corner, with a subtly grayed-out “Bing” in the search bar inviting me to search the Microsoft way.

  I should start taking bets on how long this name will last.

  UPDATE: MS is renaming Virtual Earth “Bing Maps.” Farecast (which is a worthwhile service!) becomes “Bing Travel.” Gawd, you’d think they would’ve learned something from the horrible “.NET” branding some years ago.

  Microsoft News Bing, Live Search, Windows Live Search, Windows Search