Microsoft's Acquisitions In The Search Sector

[engine]

Microsoft is aiming to pull in search traffic in many vertical areas, according to Jay Greene at Businessweek. If you look at its acquisitions, of late, there may be a case for the software giant to reign in opportunities.

Microsoft isn't going to give up the fight any time soon. But the software giant is savvy enough to know that it may need to shift the battle to a different front. In recent months, Microsoft has been spending money to boost its efforts in what's known as vertical search, those niche markets where Netizens go when they're looking for specialized information. Think Monster.com (MNST) or CareerBuilder.com for job seekers or Technorati or Feedster for blog info.

"Flanking Maneuvers"
Microsoft's vertical search acquisitions aren't that well known. And they certainly don't have the same kind of traffic as the Monsters and Technoratis of the Web. But they may form the foundation of a different way to keep Google in check. In February, Microsoft bought MotionBridge, a Paris-based provider of search technology for mobile phones. A few weeks later, Microsoft picked up Medstory, a small Foster City (Calif.) startup focused on dishing up health-care information. And in March, Microsoft announced plans to buy voice-recognition leader Tellme Networks, whose technology could help Microsoft bake voice recognition into its mobile search efforts

It all looks interesting, and the opportunities are there, let's hope they call pull this off.

Microsoft's Acquisitions In Search Sector [businessweek.com]

[callivert]

vertical search: Google do have some vertical search tools, but this might be a viable alternative model, if they have a big enough portfolio. In fact, obviously it is a viable alternative model, demonstrated by the many vertical search tools already out there.
It would also solve the scaling problem for search engines of indexing the ever-expanding web.

[tictoc]

Microsoft needs to work on the blogspot spam first.

Why is the R&D not coming out with anything at Microsoft? What ever happened to innovation at these big companies instead of just gobbling up other companies...

[flack47]

Looks like a case of "if you can't beat them, join them"
Microsoft has to acquire a few companies if they want to attempt to keep up with the snowballing Google.
At least they're not just trying to buy companies directly competing with ones that Google buys.