It is Microsoft's most aggressive move against Google yet and shows promising, unique features. But Live.com may not reveal its true potential just yet: Search could become the core tool for a next generation of applications and services.
The launch of Live Search came a bit unexpected on Monday evening - and in fact may have been accelerated by a few hours to steal thunder from product news that are predicted to emerge from Apple's "Showtime" event and a Dell press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning. And the announcement may be significant enough to do just that. While Microsoft basically has re-launched a search engine as part of its Windows Live network, the importance of the technology is reaching further: The company has the first and major cornerstone for future applications and services now in place.