Engines firing up

The crowded field of search engines, which analysts have long said is due for a shakeout, is growing increasingly competitive. The differentiation one company sought by adding, say, free email, is quickly rendered irrelevant as rivals rush to enter the space. NEWS.COM's roundup shows how search engines are attempting to outmaneuver each other by adding new features and signing marketing deals. At the same time, Microsoft seems to think there's room on the Net for one more search player.

Yahoo buys Four11 for free email By Jeff Pelline update Yahoo says it will buy Four11 for $92 million in stock and begin offering free email to its users. Inktomi joins with Intel on networks By Suzanne Galante Inktomi, a developer of scalable network applications designed to reduce congestion on the Internet, receives a $2 million cash investment from Intel. Rivals battle over new features By Jeff Pelline update The search engine wars are heating up again, and new features are the weapon of choice. Microsoft readies Yukon engine By Janet Kornblum In two weeks, Microsoft plans to announce the launch of its own search engine, intended to draw clicks from the company's popular home page, sources say. Yahoo beats Q3 expectations By Suzanne Galante Yahoo nets better-than-expected results for the third quarter, the result of increased traffic and a round of e-commerce deals. Users, marketers drawn to free email By Janet Kornblum news analysis Part of the latest gold rush on the Net, free email services do get something that is even more valuable than users' money: their personal information.