Microsoft Launches Beta Version of New MSN Search Service

New MSN Search Service Helps Consumers Find and Act on Information More Quickly REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MSN today debuted a beta version of its new MSN(R) Search service, providing consumers with more useful answers to their questions and more control over their search experience,which results in faster access to the information they are seeking online. The new MSN Search is designed to reduce the time and effort required by consumers to find information online by offering one of the largest, most up-to-date selections of information and a new class of powerful, customizable search tools.

The global beta version of MSN Search is available today for public use in the United States at http://beta.search.msn.com , and worldwide in 26 markets and 11 languages from local MSN Web sites.* The new MSN Search allows consumers to quickly receive relevant answers from a universe of more than 5 billion Web documents.

New and innovative features in MSN Search provide an enhanced search experience by providing relevant answers to direct questions -- such as "What is the second-longest coastline in the world?" -- within the search results. In addition, the Search Near Me feature automatically provides information and resources that are close to home, dramatically reducing the time needed to find geographically relevant information and eliminating the need to sift through thousands of links. Finally, searching for news, images or music is fully integrated into the new, streamlined search experience.

"The release of our beta is a huge step toward delivering the information consumers are looking for online, faster than previous versions of MSN Search," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for the MSN Information Services & Merchant Platform division at Microsoft Corp. "With better results and more powerful search tools, MSN Search is creating a new, higher standard for online search -- one that helps consumers find the information they need, when they need it."

Through the efforts of many of its top developers and employees around the world, Microsoft is dedicating thousands of hours to build the new search service, a complete version of which is slated to launch early next year. The new MSN Search is another example of the MSN vision to empower people globally through information, software and services that help them find, discover and experience what they want to online.