Lenovo to Pre-load Microsoft Live Tools

Microsoft said Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Lenovo Group to pre-load Microsoft Windows Live online services, including Microsoft Web Search toolbar, on Lenovo computers. The deal replaces a similar deal Lenovo had previously with Google to pre-load its toolbar on its desktop and notebook computers. Live.com, Microsoft's news, information, and search site, will be the default home page for Lenovo users. Microsoft hopes the pre-load, which many users tend to leave in place, will increase traffic to its web services. Windows Live search currently ranks third behind Google and Yahoo, with 11% of the online search market. Lenovo is the first computer maker to ink a deal with Microsoft.

Sources: Press Release, New York Times
Commentary: Report: Microsoft Might Buy Tellme Networks • Will Vista Reignite Microsoft 's Internet Search Presence? • Why Hasn't Microsoft Captured its Share of the SME Market?
Stocks/ETFs to watch: Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Lenovo (LNVGY.PK). Competitors: Google Inc. (GOOG), Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Baidu.com Inc. (BIDU), Time Warner Inc. (TWX), LookSmart Ltd. (LOOK), Answers Corp. (ANSW). ETFs: Internet HOLDRs (HHH), First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index (FDN)
Related: Microsoft Live Search

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