Microsoft acquired Powerset to bring it a little closer to Google’s search engine.  With Powerset, Microsoft gets a team of talented engineers and a unique search technology.

What is Powerset?  It provides a rich semantic way for users to type natural language for search queries.  Basically, you don’t have to enter boolean searches, such as “new york computer help” or nyc “computer repairs.”  The boolean searches focus on keywords versus natural language or every day linguistics.  Think “Ask Jeeves” for natural language.  Instead of typing “new york computer help,” you can just type: Looking for New York Computer Help’s address.  Powerset provides a type of natural search that has the goal of finding specific information.  Taking the New York Computer Help example, instead of being directed to the main home page, the address query will pull up NY Computer Help’s address page.  So, the searches are easy to type and, more importantly, the results are easier to find by being more specific.

If Microsoft can leverage the full potential of Powerset, Microsoft could finally be a true competitor for Google’s search service.

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