Filed under: Internet, Web services, Microsoft, Search
Microsoft: Would you use our search engine for a shiny new nickel?
It's hard being Microsoft. Oh, not when you're talking about desktop software. The company pretty much owns the desktop operating system. But on the web, Google is pretty much king. And no matter how hard Microsoft has tried, the company has been unable ot make a dent in Google's dominance of the search engine market. So Microsoft is tryng something new: Bribing people to use its Live Search.
Here's how it works. If you use Live Search Cashback page to search for products, When you buy qualifiying items, Microsoft will throw a little bit of money into a cashback account for you. When your balance reaches $5 or more, they'll send you the money. Microsoft has reportedly partnered with retailers including Barnes & Noble, Sears, Home Depot, and J&R Electronics to offer cash back deals of between 2 and 30 percent.
Of course, you don't make any money if you don't spend some. And while Microsoft might be able to convince a few folks to use their product search engine, it remains unclear whether the move will convince people to use Live Search for their everyday search needs.
[via Seattle PI]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
