What’s in a name?

Well, a lot, actually, and BoomTown supposes it would be just like those Pacific Northwest types at Microsoft to name the new version of its search service “Bing,” presumably after the cherry that is a big product in the company’s home state.

That moniker is one of many being bandied about in a group the software giant could be considering for the big relaunch of its search service, which it has been prepping.

But Microsoft should forget the fruity metaphor, also rename its MSN online service “Bada” and use this motto: “Bada Bing, Bada Boom, Notta Bada Algorithm!”

Read More »

Here are three screenshots of Microsoft’s internal test of a new search product called Kumo.

The long expected upgrade to Live Search from Microsoft is being tested for a public rollout later this year.

Sources at Microsoft said the company has not yet decided whether it will keep the Kumo name, which sounds a little too much like that crazy dog from the Stephen King novel.

Maybe that’s the point, at least related to Google. (Chomp!)

In Japanese, actually, Kumo has two definitions–cloud and spider.

Read More »

BoomTown loves a good memo and here’s one that two of Microsoft’s top online execs, Yusuf Mehdi and Satya Nadella, sent out about the deal the tech giant signed with Dell and Verizon to distribute its search and other products.

Microsoft is opening its fat wallet to do such deal and try to best archrival Google.

Here’s the memo.

Read More »

Yesterday, BoomTown reported, based on sources, that Yahoo search exec Sean Suchter was headed to Microsoft.

Now it’s official. Here’s a Microsoft statement on the hiring of Suchter, an important tech leader at Yahoo, from Satya Nadella, SVP for Search, Portal and Advertising.

Read More »

So is this the way Microsoft intends to try to best Google?

Pay consumers to search? Pay computer companies to put its search in their hardware?

Ah, Dale Carnegie’s big-bag-of-money tactic!

What’s next? Giving out dollars in Internet cafes for folks to stop using Google’s simple box?

Read More »