Yahoo vs. Google (Round 1)

Yahoo has added some new functions to give it a boost in its battle against Google. The most talked about of the new features is “universal search,” meaning results will now include Web sites, videos, electronic book pages, and other content. Sure, that’s a nifty feature but it’s just one small step in the company’s ambitious plan to regain market share. As the Wall Street Journal points out:

In August, the number of times Google's search engine was used in the U.S. jumped by one-third from a year earlier to encompass 53.6% of all U.S. searches, according to Nielsen Co. Yahoo's search engine ended August with a 20% share, on 9% annual growth in searches.

“Obviously, we have our eye on being No. 1 in search," Vish Makhijani, Yahoo senior vice president and general manager, said. "We'll chip away. This was the first step. We'll take shots, take chances."

Of course, Yahoo isn’t the only search engine challenging Google’s dominance. For instance, Powerset is a natural-language search engine that is expected to launch next year, and has generated buzz for its "out-Google Google" strategy. Well, at least most people have heard of Yahoo.