Microsoft is quietly adding services to its Windows Live portfolio to compete with services Google and Yahoo already have in place.Microsoft confirmed through its Waggener Edstrom public relations firm Friday that it is readying two new searches—Windows Live Product Search and Windows Live Academic Search—that will be a part of Windows Live Search. The LiveSide blog, written by Microsoft-dedicated beta testers and Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), previously reported on the new search offerings. MVP is an award Microsoft gives people who are active and helpful in communities for Microsoft’s different product groups. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Windows Live Product Search will be similar to Google’s Froogle service, in that it performs price comparisons on products and allows the user to refine the search results by category, brand, seller or specific keywords, according to a LiveSide posting by Chris Overd, one of the blog’s authors. “It is also rumored that as well as including expert or user-provided buying guides, Product Search will also provide access to discussions on products from articles and blog posts, something Froogle does not yet do,” he wrote.Yahoo also allows users to search for products through its Shopping search service, which can be accessed on its home page. Academic Search, aimed at Google Scholar, will allow users to search articles in academic journals or find out if books or articles are available in a library located near the user, according to another LiveSide posting.According to LiveSide, Academic Search will allow users to do the following:View an abstract for an academic article in a search preview pane. View the complete article, as long as it is not being hosted on a website that requires a subscription or is restricted-access. View a complete article as long as they have a valid subscription to do so. Purchase an article electronically using the British Library. Microsoft said Friday Academic Search would be available in beta form before late September. The company declined to release details for Product Search, but said they would be forthcoming. In an e-mail Friday, LiveSide’s Overd wrote that it seems Microsoft is “stacking up the services against Google.” Microsoft also recently made available an image search for Windows Live that is similar to Google’s image search service. The service, called Windows Live Image Search, allows users to search for images on the Web. It is available in both the United States and the United Kingdom by typing in a search term and clicking on “Image” to find images. Yahoo also offers image searching as an option on its search homepage. -Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in. Also, have a listen to CIO Publisher Gary Beach’s podcast on Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, Vista, as well as the topic of open source. Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Should finance organizations bank on Generative AI? Finance and banking organizations are looking at generative AI to support employees and customers across a range of text and numerically-based use cases. By Jay Limbasiya, Global AI, Analytics, & Data Management Business Development, Unstructured Data Solutions, Dell Technologies Sep 29, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Embrace the Generative AI revolution: a guide to integrating Generative AI into your operations The CTO of SAP shares his experiences and learnings to provide actionable insights on navigating the GenAI revolution. By Juergen Mueller Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence feature 10 most in-demand generative AI skills Gen AI is booming, and companies are scrambling to fill skills gaps by hiring freelancers to make the most of the technology. These are the 10 most sought-after generative AI skills on the market right now. By Sarah K. White Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Hiring Generative AI IT Skills feature Top 17 cloud cost management tools — and how to choose Cloud cost analysis tools help your organization keep on top of its overall cloud use and associated costs, which can add up rapidly. By Peter Wayner Sep 29, 2023 14 mins Cloud Management Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe