Microsoft (MSFT) is improving their Live Search Mobile with lots of cool new additions.  One thing I admire about Microsoft over the other search engine companies is how quickly they are developing on the mobile side.

This has been proved before with their TellMe service, a platform that doesn’t support Microsoft Mobile operating systems yet they are for Blackberries.

Great job Microsofters on the mobile stuff.  I believe Google is threatened by Mobile search platforms as it could take away a lot of their ad revenue.

Here’s the new improvements:

Weather By far the most often-requested feature: get current weather conditions and a four-day forecast by clicking the Weather icon.

Web search Search the Web, news, images, and more just by clicking the Web icon.

Increased traffic coverage Piggy-backing on great work done by Live Search Maps, view up-to-the-minute traffic info for more cities, like Dallas, Indianapolis, and Baltimore.

Bluetooth headset support Now you can use the speech recognition feature with your Bluetooth headset (available on select devices).

Map a contact Open up a contact, press Menu, and then press Show On Map to view the contact on a map.

Delete a recent location Simple, yet effective. Click the label showing your current location to display the list of recent locations, scroll to the item you want to delete, press Menu, and then press Delete.

These were the most common asks, but there were also a lot of requests for custom, personalized content. And since the customer is always right, we’ve built a way for you to access the content you care about when you’re on the go.

Collections Looking for pubs that offer WiFi in Seattle? Want to find a dog park in San Francisco? We can help! Search community-generated content such as Virtual Earth Collections and Google KML and find what you’re looking for.

via Live Search Blog

Well, this is a blog about whether Icahn’s new decision will make a better internet for all of us or not.

What is proposing is a serious push for Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) to merge, this is great for investors, a serious threat to the internet community.

To Icahn’s letter and his new Nominees, the only concern I have is that MicroHoo will not be so great for us consumers.

Why?

Well, Microsoft has proven itself “useless” with its new Vista operating system. I do not condone “monopolized” technology that does not work well. If Vista proved to be otherwise, I might not think this way but especially after how Microsoft and all its partner PC retailers including Dell, HP, and others have NOT PROVIDED an XP solution to the new computers, this MicroYahoo thing will just kill off Yahoo completely and eventually we are all going to end up using crappy software and web search engine from Microsoft.

On the bright side, Microsoft has done some good things like the TellMe service for blackberry and the World Wide Telecope. They are doing more things to make the internet better but I am just afraid of what’s on the back of their mind.

I won’t even go back to the Netscape Microsoft era but I think Microsoft will do better if they stayed completely away from the search engine market as much as possible. Heck, they have Live search, why do they need to aquire Yahoo?

What I’d rather see than MicroHoo

Personally, I would rather see Google (GOOG) + Yahoo (YHOO), a GooHoo search engine would be more likely better fit for us consumers.

Microsoft is going to pushing its Live products including search, video, IM, and e-mail through partnering with Blackberry.

We did get the early signs couple weeks earlier at the Web2.0 Expo, where Microsoft subsidiary TellMe voice activated service was already using Microsoft’s Live search and maps.

Now, it’s official and I think it’s a good marriage of the two companies. Although Blackberry run proprietary OS, Microsoft does have so much to offer in terms of search and maps.

Did Google miss out?

Heck yeah they did but Google will always develop applications for Blackberry so I don’t see GoogleMaps falling off the Blackberry users hands any time soon.

Microsoft will have to innovate like their TellMe service to get a share of the mobile Blackberry market.  Although I am not a Live service user myself, I am impressed how well the TellMe service runs on my 8830.

Microsoft purports that this deal will enable BlackBerry users “an enhanced level of integration” by employing the benefits of “push” technology as well as online sync to manage both inbox and outbox activities to bring convenient near-real-time communications to a potential user pool of some 250 million existing Live Hotmail users.

As for activity on the Live Messenger side, BlackBerry users will be given the option take part in standard one-on-one chat sessions as well as group discussions, plus additional features like the ability to sent and receive pictures and files right on their handsets.

via mashables