Amazon ditches Google in favour of Microsoft search

Amazon to use new tech on its A9.com search engine

2 May 2006 10:08 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Amazon has announced that it is ditching the services of Google and turning to Microsoft to power its A9.com online search engine.

Amazon's search engine, A9, breaks down searches into various categories, such as Web searches, book searches, and blog searches. It is a stand-alone search site, www.a9.com, as well as the search technology used on the www.amazon.com website.

Microsoft's new Windows Live will be at the centre of the new technology that is used both in the companies online store and its search engine.

A9 Chief Executive David Tennenhouse told Reuters that Windows Live presented a "very interesting, powerful Web search option" that had previously been featured on the A9 site.

According to Reuters, Tennenhouse said the Google search was removed from the site on Sunday, following the expiration of that contract.

He would not comment on the terms of the Microsoft deal, or whether a new contract with Google had been an option.

It has not been a good week for Google, the company has cried foul to the European Commission over Microsoft's new internet browser, IE7, automatically directing web browsers to Microsoft's search engine by default.

Not content with being the default for search engine for Firefox, Opera, Netscape and AOL Explorer, Google raised the concern as part of a European Commission investigation into Vista.