Microsoft Cuts Live Search Deal With HP
I can’t remember the last time I actually logged into google.com. Why would anybody, when there is a search bar in the upper right corner of my browser, or a Google Toolbar right below it? The best way by far to get people to use your search engine is to have it in the search bar or toolbar.
Microsoft knows this, and they have just cut a deal with Hewlett Packard to put Microsoft’s Live Search toolbar in all of the PC’s HP produces for 2009. What does that mean? That the world’s largest computer maker will arrive in your home or office with Live Search as the default search engine in your browser.
Of course, depending on how easy it is to change the settings, it may just be a couple of clicks to restore Google loyalty to Internet Explorer. Microsoft already makes it fairly easy to toggle between the search engines in the search bar of IE. But the toolbar developed for HP is going to be a little different, perhaps more useful, and more difficult to get rid of that pesky Live Search window.
The toolbar will be powered by Microsoft’s Flash competitor, Silverlight, meaning that HP machines will come ready for Silverlight-powered sites right out of the box, whereas they will have to obtain Adobe’s Flash (which isn’t exactly a hassle, but does give Microsoft an added edge in the graphics plugin battle).
Coming on the heels of Microsoft’s Live Search Cashback program, it appears as thought Microsoft will not go quietly into the night when it comes to search. This deal with HP is a far better strategy for getting people to use Live Search than any other method. While it’s not likely to make a huge dent in Google’s dominance, it will have some effect, if only to get users who have never used Live Search once to use it a few times and see if they like it.
Technorati Tags: microsoft, live search, silverlight, hp
