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News

• It's official: Bing is now Microsoft's search engine

  Microsoft's latest vehicle for achieving the elusive goal of Web dominance is Bing. Previously known as Kumo while in development, Bing replaces Microsoft's Live Search brand and carries forward the company's strategy for taking on Google and Yahoo. Besides introducing a new look to Microsoft's search interface, Bing adds a spruced-up navigation for search results, including a new left-hand navigation bar, a hover feature that lets users preview Web pages before visiting them, and a categorized search feature that groups search results by topic category.

• Search war is on: Microsoft's Bing fires salvo at Google

  After weeks of speculation and pre-release ballyhoo by bloggers and online commentators, Microsoft Corp. this morning took the wraps off its new search site, Bing.

• Microsoft Bing a good start, but no game changer

  Microsoft's new search engine, Bing, will help the company gain some search share against Google and has features that users will find helpful, but it is in no way a quick fix for the company's poor position in the search market, analysts said.

• Google's Wave consolidates core online features in one tool

  Google released to developers an early version of a collaboration and communication tool that consolidates features from e-mail, instant messaging, blogging, wikis, multimedia management and document sharing.

• Will Microsoft's Kumo take a bite out of Google Search?

  The release of Wolfram Alpha Inc.'s WolframAlpha fact engine last week and the expected unveiling of Microsoft Corp.'s new search engine tomorrow are creating some unease for longtime search champ Google Inc.

• Google lauds the Web as programming model

  Preaching the Web as the new programming model, Google officials lauded several technologies, including 3D browser capabilities and an ability to easily add Google applications to Web pages, at the Google I/O conference on Wednesday.

• HTC to sell Google Android smartphone in China

  China's first mobile phone based on Google's Android software will go on sale next month in a deal between China Mobile and Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC).

• Sources: UI features, 'search mashups' on tap for Kumo

  The new search engine Microsoft is expected to launch this week boasts features to improve the relevance of search query results, partly by letting users set custom profile information the engine uses to tailor results, said sources familiar with the company's plans.

• Google Chrome update adds speed, privacy mprovements

  Google's Chrome browser is now faster and has gained the ability for users to hide thumbnails on its New Tab page. The update, internally called Chrome 2, is being automatically rolled out to current users and is also available for download, according to Chrome team member Darin Fisher, writing in the Google corporate blog.

• Google refreshes logos, Gmail gets psychic

  Google introduced a refreshed look logo line for its services and a new Labs feature in Gmail that allows users to preview their inbox messages while the webmail service is loading.

• Google to give libraries say on prices for scanned books

  The University of Michigan has become the first library to amend its book scanning deal with Google, following a proposed settlement that Google reached last year with authors and publishers that sued it.

• Google barks at fetching a paper

  In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper this week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that the company pondered purchasing a newspaper.
  

• Google seeks to boost geo apps with new Maps API

  Google has released a new API for Google Maps designed to relieve developers of the burden of maintaining their own repositories for geographical data.

• Google Street View hits privacy gridlock in Germany

  Germany and Google remained at odds Wednesday over how the company holds certain data used for its Street View map imagery.

• Gmail gains automatic translation

  Gmail users can now automatically translate messages they receive into 41 languages, Google <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-in-labs-automatic-message.html">announced</a> Tuesday.