Microsoft Starts Testing Kumo

By Digital Trends Staff May 18, 2009

Microsoft Starts Testing Kumo

For the last couple of months Microsoft has been conducting internal testing of Kumo, its new search technology. Now, according to CNET, the company has started some limited public testing of Kumo.

Ryan Rea said that using Live Search and Internet Explorer 8 he got results that looked like Kumo, not Microsoft’s regular search, with the left-hand navigation frame particularly different. Microsoft confirmed what Rea had seen.

In a statement, the company said:

"We are continuously looking for ways to improve Live Search for both advertisers and consumers. As part of that effort, we regularly conduct public tests of certain feature sets. This is an example of one such test with a very limited audience."

Kumo is the current name for the rebranding of Microsoft Search. It’s expected to include semantic search technology, which came to Microsoft when it purchased Powerset. But it will need to give the company a big boost, as it trails behind Yahoo and Google in the search stakes.

Editors' Recommendations

Digital Trends Staff

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

Computing

Microsoft finally kills this legacy Windows app — for good this time

Skype shown on a laptop screen.

Microsoft has finally retired support on Skype for Business software, after announcing its pending deprecation during a November 2023 update.

Users will no longer have access to Skype for Business servers. They will not be able to access the XML settings for Skype for Business or have the ability to sign in for support to Skype for Business meetings, Microsoft said.

Computing

Best Dell laptop deals: Cheap laptops starting at $280

The Dell XPS 13 9315 on a table against a window.

If you're looking to pick up a new laptop, then Dell is one of the best laptop brands out there and has a multitiude of optoins for you to pick from depending on your needs. For example, Dell has both Alienware and G-Series which are some of the best gaming laptops on the market, and the Dell XPS lineup are some of the best laptops on the market and are made to compete with the MacBook. But that doesn't mean that Dell only has high-end gear for you to pick, and there are absolutely some great budget laptops and starter options.
Of course, having so many options can be a bit overwhelming for somebody who isn't familiar with Dell or the laptop market, which is why we scoured the Dell website for our favorite picks and listed them below. So, be sure to see if there's anything in here that tickles your fancy, and if not, check out some of these other great laptop deals as well.

Dell Inspiron 15 -- $280, was $330

Computing

Get this Asus laptop with a year of Microsoft Office for $199

asus vivobook go laptop deal amazon march 2024 lifestyle

You don't need to spend several hundreds of dollars on a new laptop that you'll use as a productivity tool because there are budget-friendly options like the Asus Vivobook Go L510MA. It's actually currently even cheaper from Walmart after an $80 discount, which brings its price down to just $199 from $279 originally. There's no telling how much time is remaining before the offer expires though, so if you want to take advantage of it, you're going to have to proceed with the purchase as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Asus Vivobook Go L510MA
For a laptop that will be able to handle basic activities like doing online research, building reports, and browsing social media, you can't go wrong with the Asus Vivobook Go L510MA. It's equipped with the Intel Pentium Silver N5030 processor and 4GB of RAM, which are a far cry from the specifications of the best laptops, but it will be enough for simple tasks. The device also comes with a 15.6-inch screen with Full HD resolution, which is pretty large and sharp for its price, but it's still portable as it only weights about 3.5 pounds with a thickness of just 0.72 of an inch.