Microsoft Corp. reached an agreement with Lenovo Group Ltd. to pre-load Lenovo computers with a toolbar of Microsoft’s Windows Live online services including Web search, the two companies said on Tuesday.
The agreement between Lenovo, the world’s third-largest PC maker, and Microsoft, replaces a similar deal the Chinese computer maker had with Google Inc. to pre-load the Web search leader’s toolbar on its desktop and notebook computers.
The agreement will set live.com, Microsoft’s customizable news, information and search engine site, as the default homepage for Lenovo PC users and add a Windows toolbar inside the PC’s Internet Explorer browser.
Users will be able to change the settings, but many people tend not to change default settings. The agreement aims to increase traffic to Microsoft’s Web services at a time when Google’s search engine has become a first-stop for many Web visitors.
Google’s commanding lead in the Web search lures more advertisers and money to its query results. Microsoft’s Windows Live search ranks third behind Google and Yahoo Inc. with a 11 percent market share, according to data from research firm conScore Networks Inc.
Lenovo, which bought International Business Machines Corp.’s PC unit in 2005, is the first computer manufacturer to strike an agreement with Windows Live.
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Toolbar – its great! As for me, its handy to use your own toolbar. For example, with “toolbar builder” (besttoolbars.net) I could create my own toolbar with custom features and services I want to use. Firm I work use its own self-branded toolbar and everybody happy.
I think a great solution for pc manufacturers is to build their own brand name toolbars. Why not? http://www.besttoolbars.net is the top software for building your OWN toolbar. I think toolbars are useful – and what great chance to promote you to everybody!