Microsoft Corp. has launched new MSN research labs aimed at rapidly developing and deploying Internet technologies. The efforts are part of the software company's strategy to be more agile in its creation of Web-based services to compete with rivals such as Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
Microsoft introduced the efforts -- Live Labs and Search Labs -- on Wednesday at its Search Champs meeting in Redmond, Washington, according to Adam Sohn, a company spokesman for Microsoft's MSN division. Search Champs is an event to solicit feedback from industry experts and pundits, including prominent bloggers, on some of Microsoft's newest technology.
Live Labs will fall under the jurisdiction of Gary Flake, a Microsoft Technical fellow who joined the company from Yahoo Inc. in June 2005. Search Labs will be run by Ashok Chandra, an industry researcher and academic who joined Microsoft a few weeks ago.
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I don't think that money will make all the difference in the world, but I kind of hope that money will make some difference in this case. One company's taking 60%+ share of the SE market is not very healthy.
