The Live Search team speaks about Kumo

Mike Nichols, the general manager of Live Search, put up a blog post today regarding the testing of Kumo, Microsoft's update to Live Search. There he discusses the testing and possible rebranding of Live Search.

Many of you have probably seen the press coverage in the last day or so about the internal testing Microsoft employees are doing on our search product. There’s a good deal of excitement brewing over this test, both internally and externally, which we’re always glad to see.

And we're more than happy to help out with said press coverage, Mike. But, seriously, what about this whole rebranding thing. Is this the end of Live Search as a brand?

There has also been a fair amount of speculation around the use of the Kumo brand and URL, and whether this means that we are rebranding Live Search. We’re using the Kumo brand and URL for this test experience to make sure employees understand they’re in a test experience. We believe this will encourage more active feedback. As for rebranding, it’s something we’re still considering.

So you're saying there's still a chance. May we suggest, KUMOBILE!

Update: Microsoft Watch is down on the whole Kumo thing. Well, the name, anyway.