Just hours after we learned that Microsoft was in negotiations to take over Yahoo! the talks ended. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports that the talks were more of a quick chat.

Of course the blogosphere went crazy Friday (slow news day) with speculation on what this would mean for both companies. Microsoft jsut lost its bid to purchase DoubleClick, while Yahoo! is expanding its own advertising network. And while Microsoft has been trying to build its brand online to the point where it's as ubiquitous as the company's desktop software, Yahoo! already has as strong a presence as anyone online.

Could we see talks resume in earnest at some point? We wouldn't rule it out. But as of today, there's nothing to see here, so move along.