Wait: Could 'Bing' be the new name for Microsoft's Live Search?

Summary: Maybe Kumo won't be the final new name for "Live Search" after all. "Bing" also still seems to be in the running.

Maybe Kumo won't be the final new name for Microsoft's "Live Search" after all. "Bing" also still seems to be in the running.

It was almost a year ago that I received a tip that Microsoft was considering three new names for its Live Search engine. Those three were "Hook," "Bing," and "Kumo." After the LiveSide.Net sleuths discovered that Microsoft had taken control of the Kumo domains, it seemed almost certain that Kumo was going to be the new name.

But now I'm not quite so sure. According to a "Who Is" search, Microsoft is now listed as the registrar of the "Bing.com" and "Bing.net" domains. (It looks like Microsoft might have made its ownership public around March 4, according to information on the Who Is site.) Microsoft is redirecting a bunch of its own servers to point to Bing, as well.

(Microsoft still also owns the Kumo domain names. iGenesis Limited in Hong Kong owns "Hook.com.")

The Softies have been calling "Kumo" a code name for the past month or so, but few believed that the company wouldn't also make Kumo (which means "cloud" or "spider" in Japanese) the final name.

I was starting to like Kumo. It sounds a lot better than "Bing it!"

I asked before and I'm asking again: [poll id ="32"]

Other write-in candidates welcome.

(For what it's worth: Microsoft isn't commenting on whether or not Bing will be the final name. I asked and got the official "no comment.)

Topics: Microsoft, Browser

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

23 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion
  • I think kumo.com is official

    If you go to www.kumo.com through your firefox, you can find windows' icon at the place, where icons are shown in tabs ( along with blank page).
    So, it seems to be official.
    Secondly, after reading this, I find that world is lacking good names. I mean kumo was terrible and then bing!
    I think it would be better if MS had asked some street boy for some good name.
    ArnavM
  • Call it what you want to

    Live search, MSN Search, Bing it, Kumo it, the latter two sound like my autistic neighbor kid. Renaming it isn't going to help, I myself won't be swaded. I will still be using Google. Sorry MS.
    xXSpeedzXx
    • that's brand loyalty, for you

      So even if Google's search goes all but
      nonexistent, you'll use Google over Live? Sure
      you will?

      I have several brands I'm pretty loyal to. I've
      never bought an AMD processor, and probably
      never will. I had a mac, it sucked, I'm
      sticking with my beloved Windows from here on
      out. But if Windows ever severely lagged behind
      on something, or something came out that was
      new and better, why not at least evaluate it?

      If the new engine is something truly new, as
      in, Microsoft makes it work as well as Google,
      learn as well as Google, and integrates it with
      the other products in the Microsoft line, I'll
      certainly think about it. Since I use Chrome
      all the time, I am pretty into the Google
      search. Type right in the URL bar. Nice. But
      then again... IE8 is looking much better, and
      its search capabilities are much improved. It's
      something to think about.

      So while this post has been mostly fluff, it
      seems to me that writing off the new search
      without trying it can only hurt you. *shrug*
      evilkillerwhale@...
      • Beloved Windows?!

        Mate, you need to get out more...
        SimonUK2
  • Name makes all the difference

    I think Bing would be a fantastic name as it is so easy to type. I believe one of the main reasons for Google's success is down to the fact that google is easier to type than yahoo.
    iHateLusers
  • RE: Wait: Could 'Bing' be the new name for Microsoft's Live Search?

    Kumo is fantastic name.
    bola12
  • AskLurch.com

    You rang ? uhhhhh !

    or how about nochanceinhellofbeatinggoogle.com
    Alan Smithie
  • Why go halfway?? Bada-bing!

    It's catchy. It'll become viral.
    bushidokai44
    • Live it baby

      "Live it" has such good campaign potential.

      Search it, find it, live it

      (live pernounced 'liv')

      I do like the Bada-Bing...much more search engine sounding.

      "Type in your search, and Bada-Bing, you'll find just what you were looking for."
      sammymason
    • badabing

      lol, you are so right. unfortunately that domain is registered already.
      USArcher
  • Name it moogle then sue Google worked for Lindows

    NT
    Randalllind
  • lack of brand

    I really don't understand MS's lack of consistent branding. Their entire Live brand exists to show the connectivity between the products and services, and Live Search is a basic part of it. If you change the name, it breaks the connection.

    When MS can return what I'm looking for, like Google does, I'll switch to it. I don't care what the name is or who provides it, I just want the results.
    coffeeshark
    • Remember, this is just someone guessing

      nothing more. It probally has nothing to do with Live.
      GuidingLight
  • Alert or Micro Blog Service

    I like the name..but I'm just not sure it works well for a search service. I could see a micro-blog or alert service using that name.
    USArcher
  • Seems like Klooge would be a better fit

    Another Klooge from Micrsoft, just Klooge it!
    ThePrairiePrankster
  • RE: Wait: Could 'Bing' be the new name for Microsoft's Live Search?

    Here is my suggestion
    Make "shodh" means search in Sanskrith....
    Advantages:
    1.Short
    2.Easy to remember
    3.Easy to type
    4.At actuall means search........

    Shodh it..........
    NewUser9
  • How about...

    "WorksForSure?

    Yeah, that has a good traditional M$FT sound of
    failure to it.

    The poor stupid monkeyboys of Redmond think that
    the name is what differentiates a product. WRONG!

    Twitter and google are silly named but effective
    products. Vista was a serious name for a pile of
    BloatWare. No one mistook it as an effective
    product (well, except for easy Ed - I'll help you fix
    Vista with twelve days of Tweaks.

    Name has nothing to do with but the BloatFarmers
    are too stupid to know that.

    It is time to clean house at the BloatFarm starting
    with the Mega-Monkeyboy and then the marketing
    fools who think product name substitutes for
    effectiveness.

    WorksForSure sounds like the right name, like Zune,
    WinMo, SPoT, Xbox, Vista and other M$FT products.
    Jeremy W
    • Bing?

      I think Ping makes more sense, if they can do
      it. what about Float? just "float it" out there
      on the 'net.... perhaps something a bit more
      simple:
      List.com/Listit.com
      TechMoid
  • Microsoft ought to call the new search MyRoar

    Why should they call it MyRoar? Since there is a Natural Language Search Technology called MyRoar.

    Bing has zero power to it.
    Bing sounds like a game
    Bing is something a bell does or ding
    Bing is lame

    Roar has power
    Engines roar
    Chevy's roar
    Airplanes roar
    Lion's roar

    Search engines roar when computing and processing.

    Microsoft needs Power in their search game. If they were smart, they would run a survey to 1,000,000 + users. Let the users tell them. Give them a list of 10 to pick from. Not 3.

    http://myroar.com/demo.php

    jimpeake
  • RE: Wait: Could 'Bing' be the new name for Microsoft's Live Search?

    What ever they call it they need to give us back desktop and local drive search. I have found that I can find things on MS web sites with Google search that I can't find with MS search even when I am on the correct MS web site. They sure have loused up search, maybe they can "Bing" it and make it work as well as Google does.
    ted.mccarty@...