Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    MSN Buys Desktop Search Startup

    By
    Matthew Hicks
    -
    July 16, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      MSN continues to delve deeper into search with the acquisition of a 6-month-old startup focused on desktop search.

      Microsoft Corp.s Internet division announced late Thursday that it has bought Lookout Software LLC, the maker of a software add-on to Microsoft Outlook that indexes and searches e-mail as well as desktop files. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

      While not directly addressing how they will use Lookouts technology, MSN officials said it is part of the companys increased investment in search and its efforts to make results—whether from the Web or from the desktop—more relevant for users.

      “Our vision is to take search beyond todays basic Internet search services to deliver direct answers to peoples questions, and help them find information from a broad range of sources,” Yusuf Mehdi, MSNs corporate vice president, said in a statement.

      The acquisition marks another step in MSNs more aggressive push into the search market. The Redmond, Wash., division has been developing its own Web search index and algorithm for MSN Search, set to go live as early as the end of this year.

      Earlier this month, MSN offered a public preview of its Web search engine as part of an overhaul of MSN Search. It also plans to launch news and blog search sites later this year.

      The Lookout acquisition demonstrates that MSN is planning to further combine both Web search and desktop search, said Gary Stein, a senior analyst at Jupiter Research, a division of Jupitermedia Corp.

      He said he expects Lookouts functionality to be rolled into MSN Search and that the deal appears to be about gaining new technology and development talent.

      “This acquisition is not about shutting anyone out of the market,” he said.

      Desktop search has become one of the next frontiers in search. Google Inc. has made moves toward the desktop with its Google Deskbar download, and Ask Jeeves Inc. last month acquired another desktop search startup. Microsoft also is widely expected to add more search features in Windows itself with the next operating-system release, Longhorn.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifClick here to read more about Ask Jeeves purchase of a desktop search startup.

      Lookout, based in Palo Alto, Calif., was founded in January 2004 by Mike Belshe and Eric Hahn, who both developed the software. Belshe will join MSN Search full time, while Hahn will join temporarily to help in the transition, Microsoft announced.

      Hahn, a former chief technology officer at Netscape Communications Inc., also is the founder and investing partner at early-stage investment firm The Inventures Group, in Palo Alto, Calif.

      “For us, this deal made total sense with where we were,” Belshe said. “Its going to let us take Lookout to the whole next level … in how deep we can go in search.”

      Lookout, in a free preview release, runs with Microsoft Outlook 2000 and higher and requires Microsofts .NET Framework version 1.1, according to the companys Web site. Along with e-mails and desktop files, it also can index public Outlook folders and Outlook calendar items and contacts.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Enterprise Applications Center at http://enterpriseapps.eweek.com for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      /zimages/4/77042.gif

      Be sure to add our eWEEK.com enterprise applications news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page

      Matthew Hicks
      As an online reporter for eWEEK.com, Matt Hicks covers the fast-changing developments in Internet technologies. His coverage includes the growing field of Web conferencing software and services. With eight years as a business and technology journalist, Matt has gained insight into the market strategies of IT vendors as well as the needs of enterprise IT managers. He joined Ziff Davis in 1999 as a staff writer for the former Strategies section of eWEEK, where he wrote in-depth features about corporate strategies for e-business and enterprise software. In 2002, he moved to the News department at the magazine as a senior writer specializing in coverage of database software and enterprise networking. Later that year Matt started a yearlong fellowship in Washington, DC, after being awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship for Journalist. As a fellow, he spent nine months working on policy issues, including technology policy, in for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He rejoined Ziff Davis in August 2003 as a reporter dedicated to online coverage for eWEEK.com. Along with Web conferencing, he follows search engines, Web browsers, speech technology and the Internet domain-naming system.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×