Microsoft launches its own search engine

Microsoft has launched a provisional "beta" version of its own internet search engine as it tries to wrestle web inquiries away from search engine leader Google.

Like the search engines developed by Google and Yahoo, the new version of MSN Search is based on algorithms that rank relevant pages according to the number of links that point to those pages.

But Microsoft says its search engine goes several steps further than the competition.

For one thing, the new MSN Search can answer questions. If a user types in "What is the capital of Turkey?", the search engine will search Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia to come up with the correct answer, Ankara.

Microsoft also claims the new search engine gives users more control over their search. For example, a new feature called "Search Near Me" allows users to find web pages with information and resources that are more "geographically relevant" to the user. The search engine can locate the user's whereabouts from the user's IP address.

There's also a "Search Builder" feature that allows consumers to emphasize or de-emphasize certain features like a particular area or language.

"The release of our beta is a huge step toward delivering the information consumers are looking for online, faster than previous versions of MSN Search," said MSN's Yusuf Mehdi.

"With better results and more powerful search tools, MSN Search is creating a new, higher standard for online search one that helps consumers find the information they need, when they need it," he said.

Microsoft said its new MSN Search engine has an index of more than 5 billion documents, which until Wednesday was larger than Google's index base of 4.2 billion pages.

But in an attempt to upstage Microsoft's announcement, Google announced Wednesday that it has almost doubled its own index to 8 billion pages.

"Comprehensiveness is not the only important factor in evaluating a search engine, but it's invaluable for queries that only return a few results," said Google vice president Bill Coughran on the company's web site.

• FROM Oct. 14, 2004: Google launches desktop search engine

Last month, Google launched a beta version of its desktop search engine. That allows users to search the hard drive on their own computers for documents or find web pages the user had visited earlier.