Matthew Hicks

Web-based access for MSN Messenger has moved out of test mode. Microsoft Corp.s MSN division launched Web Messenger on Thursday, a move that puts its instant messaging service on par with leading competitors America Online Inc. and Yahoo Inc. when it comes to letting users chat without using a desktop client. MSN Web Messenger, available […]

As part of an effort begun five months ago, MSN is extending its higher Hotmail storage limits to new customers and is in the final stages of giving additional storage to current customers. Microsoft Corp.s Internet division on Thursday started offering 250 MB of storage to new users of free Hotmail accounts in the United […]

Microsoft Corp.s MSN division has extended its sponsored-links contract with Overture Services Inc. for another year. The companies announced an agreement on Thursday that runs through June 2006. The previous deal between MSN and Yahoo Inc.s paid search division was due to expire in June 2005. The move signals that MSN is not ready to […]

LAS VEGAS—Ready or not, desktop search is set to gain yet another major contender next month. Ask Jeeves Inc. plans to release a desktop-search product in December, a company executive confirmed this week during an interview at the WebmasterWorld.com World Search Conference here. Desktop search has become the latest battleground among leading search players, with […]

LAS VEGAS—For Web sites based on Macromedia Flash, search engines are anything but friendly. The major crawlers used to discover content rarely dig deep into Flash, often missing pages or, worse yet, ignoring sites altogether. But a pair of Web designers detailed a new approach on Tuesday at the WebmasterWorld.com World Search Conference here to […]

As desktop search heats up, a San Francisco-based startup is hoping to leapfrog its bigger competitors by rethinking the way search results are retrieved and organized. In releasing Version 2.0 of its search tool on Monday, Blinkx Inc. took aim at the folder system in Windows. It introduced a feature called “smart folders,” where users […]

Yahoo Inc. is putting its e-mail authentication method into action. On Monday, the Sunnyvale, Calif., company will begin to support its DomainKeys cryptographic approach for Yahoo Mail, one of the largest Web-based e-mail services in the world. Yahoos DomainKeys move will come as part of a series of enhancements to Yahoo Mail. The company will […]

Screen shots of an early version of MSNs desktop search application began circulating on the Web on Monday, indicating that Microsoft Corp.s Internet division plans to release a product with deep connections to Windows. Technology enthusiast site Neowin.net first disclosed the product details, prompting an MSN executive to post on MSN Searchs Weblog that the […]

The three major U.S. online travel sites fare worse than their European counterparts in finding the cheapest international air fares, according to a study released Friday. When compared with 20 travel sites in seven countries, the U.S. sites of Expedia Inc., Orbitz Inc. and Travelocity.com LP fell behind travel sites for Belgium, Denmark and Germany. […]

In its debut, the MSN Search beta ran into a few technical glitches. Microsoft Corp.s answer to Web search was unavailable for some users during a portion of Thursday morning, though a spokeswoman said the problem was not widespread and had been fixed by afternoon. Webloggers first reported encountering server errors as they attempted to […]