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Kumo’s name to Change

James Oliver — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:48:32 +0000

For several months Microsoft has been testing a new search engine, the working title up till now has been Kumo, though Microsoft were always keen to stress that this was not a final name. According to reports the name is indeed set to change ahead of the rumoured $80 – 100 million dollar advertising push that Microsoft has planned for the new venture.

According to Advertising Age the new name, or in fact, the first official name, is set to be ‘Bing.’ No explanation has been offered as of yet for the enigmatic title and Microsoft are declining to comment for the time being, though it is thought that more will be revealed this week when Steve Ballmer speaks at the ‘All Things Digital’ conference in California.

The anticipated advertising spend has also raised eyebrows around silicon valley. The amount is thought to be very high, even for Microsoft, especially when compared to the barely 25 million dollars that Google spent on all its advertising last year. However, those expecting a repeat of the confrontational advertising approach that the company has been taking with Apple look set to be disappointed, Google will apparently not be mentioned by name.

So what does Kumo Mean, then?

James Oliver — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:25:07 +0000

Earlier in the week we reported that Microsoft was internally testing a new search engine named Kumo. Technical details are still sketchy – presumably it’s being tested internally for a reason – though one thing we can do is explain the name Kumo.

Kumo, the name that Microsoft hopes will eventually trip of the tongue of every computer user as easily as Google, or at least Yahoo, has its roots in Japan. Literally translated it means Spider or cloud, anyone with a passing knowledge of computer technology and the internet should be able to see the significance of that. It’s also the word that the Swedish use for a Finnish town though I’d assume that this is accidental as it s hard to see the

The logo, which is still only provisional, and not confirmed as their definite choice is the word Kumo written in blue lower case letters. Interestingly, it is not immediately recognisable as Microsoft branding, which could be because they believe that a standalone brand has a better chance of adoption by the general public as it’s free of any fluctuation in the reputation of Microsoft which, let’s face it, is up and down these days.