If you logged into Google yesterday and thought for a brief moment you had been redirected to Bing, that’s because Google’s brand new search engine refresh has seriously cramped Microsoft’s style. In all seriousness and to be completely fair to Google, this design has been in beta for quite some time, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s almost a spitting image of Bing…minus the kooky backgrounds. On the left-hand side of the site you’ll now find the search tools wh...

Microsoft announced today that it will be teaming up with Sun Microsystems on a web search deal in an attempt to move one step closer to catching up with Google. It would appear as though Microsoft is getting pretty aggressive with its partnerships and expansions this year. First, it announced a partnership with LG for future Windows Mobile devices from the South Korean electronics company. Then there was the deal with Hewlett-Packard and the plan to add a new search toolbar to its future machines. Now, the p...

Rather than take Google head on in the search wars which given Google’s dominance is probably an impossible feat, Microsoft is honing in on Google’s weaknesses instead. This strategy is apparent in its latest acquisition announced Sunday in which Microsoft purchased Greenfield Online, owner of Europe’s largest shopping price comparison website ciao.com, for a cool $486 million. Ciao.com provides online product price comparisons and user submitted reviews. Users are encouraged to write review...