The Redmond giant unveiled yesterday a new search service with a new design and new search categories.

Through  Windows Live Search beta offers extensive search categories such as image and local search offering customers with a customizing opportunity. The company provides the user with an updated version of Live.com and Windows Live Toolbar beta. The whole package is available in the U.S. and some other exclusive countries offering features that vary from market to market.

Users have more control on their search options through features like smart scrolling (people do not have to move from page to page to view their result), search slider bar (it increases the level of information on the results page) or search preview.

The new Live Search offers different search categories like all-new image, local or e-mail search providing the user with the possibility of viewing a looked for image without leaving the search page.

The new Windows Live Toolbar increased the security level against unwanted pop-ups and also includes RSS detection and automatic aggregation to a person’s personalized Live.com home page. Technology provided by Onfolio Inc enables customers to save, collect or share any part or the full Web page of the information they discovered.

Live.com also received new design and features that provide the user with the opportunity of customizing, previewing or creating multiple pages based on their interests.

Once officially launched, the new search engine Windows Live is going to replace the “old� MSN Search. Even so, Microsoft still has a lot to catch up with as Google and Yahoo share a total of 70 percent of all queries in January this year, while same marketing research places 11 percent next to Microsoft.