Microsoft has confirmed that it is internally testing a new Internet search engine which it has codenamed ‘Kumo’ (Japanese for ‘cloud’ or ‘spider’). At present, Kumo is being tested by Microsoft employees, but the company is hopeful that if all goes well, the search engine could be released for public use by the end of the year.
In a leaked internal memo, senior Microsoft vice president Satya Nadella said that, “We believe we can provide a better and more useful search experience that helps you not just search but accomplish tasks.” Nadella went on to write that, “During the test, features will vary by country, but you’ll see results organized in a way that saves you more time.”
Kumo will differ from Google in that it will be based more on semantic technology, rather than trying to match search queries with text found on web pages.
Kumo will also reportedly display categories of results that are specifically related to each search query. For example, if you enter the search query ‘honda accord’, Kumo will return result categories such as reviews, prices, photos, dealer locations and other very relevant information.
Following their failed bid to acquire Yahoo last year, Kumo is Microsoft’s latest attempt to become a larger player in the search engine world.
Current figures show that in the US, Google enjoys more than 60% of the online search market, while Yahoo is firmly in second with a 21% market share and Microsoft a distant third with only 8.5% of online searches.
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