Microsoft rebrands Hotmail/MSN/Live/.Net/Microsoft Search (Again) | The Coffeehouse

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

This time the new branding is "Bing." So you can look forward to logging into - Microsoft Windows Bing Hotmail Live MSN Office Communicator Messenger 2003 .Net Professional Smiley

figuerres
???

OMG -- STOP THE MADDNESS!!!! Perplexed Expressionless

Bass
Channel 9, best used in moderation

You forgot "Active", "Active" was Microsoft's pet brand of the late 90s.

Microsoft Active Windows Bing Hotmail Live MSN Office Communicator Messenger 2003 .Net Professional

Sorry.. Blushing

spivonious

Are you sure? I thought they just renamed Kumo to Bing. At least Bing.com makes it seem like it's only search.

Sabot
My name is Dave Oliver. I'm a Technical Architect.

In reply to spivonious

#May 28th @ 12:27 PM

So is this the Basic, Express, Home, Business, Pro, Ultimate, Standard, Enterprise R2 2009 version?

webmonkey
How am i supposed to code with theeeeeese ?

In reply to spivonious

#May 28th @ 12:27 PM

That sounds like what Ballmer was saying at D7, that the reason for the name is they wanted something just for search.

rhm

OK, the name is stupid - reminds of Chandler BING from Friends - but will it be any good as a search engine? Got to say I'm not that impressed with Google lately, they've been letting SEOers get away with murder, so there's a chance a better search could get at least one user Smiley

Sabot
My name is Dave Oliver. I'm a Technical Architect.

In reply to rhm

#May 28th @ 1:02 PM

Agreed.

I've been using other search engines recently as Google does seem to have lost focus on who exactly is the customer, perhaps it's still in Beta?

Bing is a silly name but it is a word that is used dramatically already in every-day-speech to mean 'surprise' so I do get it, but it is daft so Microsoft is going to be on the back-foot from the get-go with this one.

wkempf

In reply to Sabot

#May 28th @ 1:17 PM

Because Google was such a great name? If you don't know what a google is, the name sounds even sillier than Bing. If you do know what google means, it still seems like a very silly name for a search engine.

As for whether or not it will be any good... it already has one surprising self proclaimed "fan". http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/255750/Woz-Bing!-Apple-Co-Founder-a-%22Big-Fan%22-of-Microsofts-New-Search-Engine

I'm not sure how it's going to work for my most common searches (all having to do with software development), but it looks like a dream come true for the average "consumer search". Unlike Live Search, I'm sure I'll use Bing fairly frequently, even if it doesn't become my default search engine.

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

In reply to wkempf

#May 28th @ 1:52 PM

But Google means nothing so you can turn it into whatever you wish. Kumo might have been the same way.

Plus attacking Google isn't really a valid defense of Microsoft's new name and constanting rebranding every two years...

wkempf

In reply to ManipUni

#May 28th @ 1:56 PM

Google means nothing? Huh?

I was certainly not attacking Google. I was using Google as an example. Meaningful names aren't necessary to be effective.

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

In reply to wkempf

#May 28th @ 1:58 PM

The word "Google" means nothing. Just like "Kumo" means nothing. While "Bing" does already have a meaning...

Sabot
My name is Dave Oliver. I'm a Technical Architect.

Do you know I've been thinking about this and it's actually all very clever!

We are all talking about the name, so we will remember it - and this is the key part - because if we remember the name - ***for whatever reason*** - we are more likely to use it (aka 'see what all the fuss is about')

... and if the product is actually good ... we are more likely to continue to use it.

It is a silly name but it is a catchy-attention-seeking name. If it is a success, in time, we will forget how silly it is.

TommyCarlier
I want my scalps!

In reply to ManipUni

#May 28th @ 2:12 PM

Google == Googol == 10^100

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to TommyCarlier

#May 28th @ 10:57 PM

Bing == Bing Is Not Google

Smiley

(thanks, PINE)

Ion Todirel
buuu

In reply to PaoloM

#May 28th @ 11:05 PM

that explains it Smiley

Ray7

I wonder if it ever occurred to them that the problem may not be name-related?

jugatsu
Boomer zuner

Bing makes perfect sense in en-US. Kumo never would have made it as a verb here; Kumo'ed sounds too much like comode, which is a toilet. Any other use of Kumo as a verb doesn't roll off the American tounge; Kumo'ing, Kumo it, all nails on a chalkboard.

Bing in the States often indicates something is complete and/or correct. Pretty close to "Bingo!" when an answer to a question is correct, or "Badda-Bing!", etc. Perfect sense. They chose well, I think. Given Microsoft's history of naming things it could have been bad, real bad.

Now "Azure", I have problems with that one; where's my codeine.... Big Smile

exoteric
人

In reply to PaoloM

#May 28th @ 11:05 PM

Cool Love it

Appropos Google; The name isn't quite maningless, it was supposed to be Googol but they messed it up - but it still bears close association to that number, for obvious reasons. And further, Googleplex bears a close resemblence to Googolplex. The naming mistake is actually not that bad of an idea. Google rolls better off the tongue.

I'm not sure what Bing means and what the marketing people were thinking about but there are probably some meaning there.

Bing it?

It looks like Bing is a search engine with domain-specific support, assisting in specialized queries with actual data, not just indexed sites.

Kumo was supposedly a code-name, so who cares about that one. Although aren't we getting tired of having nice code-names replaced with terribly verbose finalized names; Indigo vs WCF; Avalon vs WPF; rolling off the tongue?

Bing | Cheapest laptop with blablabla | Go

Bingo!

You don't Bing. You bin/go!

OK enough nonsense from me for now Big Smile

giovanni
...

Finding a name today is hard because everything has been registered somehow. I think Bing has a couple of advantages as people wrote before: easy to remember, easy to type (though I keep on typing ginb) and in en-US it can be used as a verb (to bing, bing-ing, bing-it!). Personally I don't like it, but probably I will get used to it. I just hope the rebraning does not cover the other windows live products as now I got used to their names.

I remember when I was looking for a name for my own company: I paid a professional company to help me out and their suggestions were Ipsoa, Hyperion, etc. I sat down with a friend and a few beers and after two hours of brainstorming we came up with Blue Ice. Honestly that sounds much better to me and considering the investment it is definitely worth it. Marketing can be such a waist of money!!!

exoteric
人

"Microsoft rebrands Hotmail/MSN/Live/.Net/Microsoft Search (Again)"

Can you substantiate this? Sure, they create a special version of Live Search but how do you get from that to a total rebrand of everything?
Dramatic effect?