Microsoft's Brad Goldberg on how Live Search will take on Google

As the bid for Yahoo quietens down, Microsoft has revamped its Live Search engine, expanding the types of searches users can run.

In a telephone interview with Computer Weekly, Brad Goldberg, general manager, search engine business at Microsoft, said the company was well-positioned to be a strong search engine company, and was taking long term investments in data centres and search technology to become the alternative to Google. "Microsoft is significantly investing on a worldwide basis because we think search is a critical area for us," he said.

The user interface has been expanded to provide Internet users with local and mapping information, together with integrated location-based services via mobile devices. Microsoft said it has improved the way Live Search find images, presenting images on a single page to avoid users having to click "next page" to see more, Microsoft said.