April 3rd, 2009
Wait: Could 'Bing' be the new name for Microsoft's Live Search?
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:
Loading ...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.)
Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or
RSS. You can also follow Mary Jo on Twitter.
Got a tip? Send Mary Jo your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. For disclosure on Mary Jo's industry affiliations, click here or to see Mary Jo's full profile click here.
