Searching

I recently attended a conference on online advertising. A woman from Microsoft was seated at my table and we made friendly conversation. Around lunchtime, she asked if I knew of any local coffee shops. I didn't, but I had my laptop open so I offered, "Do you want me to Google it for you?" She let out a strained laugh and said, "Or you could Live Search it."
I laughed too, but I was confused. I'm pretty plugged in, but it took me a full two seconds to have any idea what she was talking about. Finally it clicked: Live Search is Microsoft's search engine.

When I got home that night, I decided to compare Live Search to Google. (And I had to Google it to get the URL...) I was looking for a Thai restaurant, so I entered "Thai near 94118." Here are the screen shots of the results:




To be fair, they're both similar content-wise. Google's was more helpful primarily because the map was provided on the search results page. When I clicked into Live Search's results, the map they provided didn't have zoom functionality, a real disadvantage if you live in a city and need a cross street.