Software giant Microsoft Corp is collaborating with HiPages (中華黃頁) to launch Live Pages, the most comprehensive Internet commercial search engine and interactive map service of its kind in Taiwan.
This further expands Microsoft’s presence in the Taiwanese search engine market.
HiPages is the nation’s leading business directory.
It currently contains 2,000 categories and over 800,000 individual business listings in its database.
“After our recent success with Windows Live, we’re continuing our efforts to bring a better Internet experience to our users through value-added software propositions,” Geena Lin (林燕), vice president of Microsoft Taiwan’s MSN business division, said at a media briefing yesterday.
“With Live Pages, Microsoft makes the business information searches and the maps interactive by using Windows Live Messenger,” she said.
Chi Li-ping (齊立平), programming manager of Microsoft Taiwan’s MSN business division, listed ways in which Live Pages differs from Google and Yahoo: more extensive business listings, easy search words, location-based searches that also include neighboring businesses and direct dialing via the Internet.
Vincent Tao (陶闖), senior director of Microsoft Virtual Earth and the local search business unit, described Live Pages as a complete 2D/3D experience and shared the firm’s long-term vision during the briefing.
“With computer-aided renderings and spatial imaging, Virtual Earth expands online mapping to include location searches, infotainment [entertainment plus information], social networking and L-commerce across all devices,” he said.
Users can try Live Pages at www.livepages.com.tw.
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