Dueling Search Engines: Good for Us

Internet search powerhouse Google, which makes nearly all of its income from search-based advertising and marketing, quietly unveiled its latest salvo against Microsoft's high-profile search service Bing, according to an article by BBC News. Code-named "Caffeine," the new Google search engine is the first major upgrade to Google search in a long while, which — in theory at least — could have rested on its laurels while continuing to count the money.

Why is this good news? Well, ever since "Google" became a verb, the Mountain View company lacked any formidable competitors. But Microsoft, which knows a thing or two about being the only game in town, aggressively challenged Google with its recent release of Bing. Call me cynical, but do you really think Google would have put so much energy into Caffeine if Bing never came onto the scene?

Yeah, me neither.

So far it's getting rave reviews from the geek press. An article published by Information Week summarizes feedback from a number of testers who say it provides more results, with better accuracy, than its existing search engine. But how does Caffeine compare to Microsoft's shiny new Bing? The jury's still out, and all of the reviews I've read only compare the new search engine to the incumbent one, but you can try it out yourself by clicking here (the interface looks exactly the same).

Okay Microsoft, you know the drill: We eagerly anticipate your next move, which of course will be followed by — what's stronger than caffeine? — Google "Crack." Yes, competition is a good thing.

Image courtesy of Google