Microsoft today revealed that its next generation Windows Live Search engine will be branded as Bing, confirming widespread rumors. The service, which is being tested under the codename "Kumo," will replace Windows Live Search later this year, Microsoft says. A public beta is expected June 3.

Of course, Microsoft's search engine has never done particularly well in the market against entrenched competitors like Google and Yahoo!. So the software giant is recasting Bing as a "decision engine" rather than a general search engine, a service that help people make decisions with more confidence. And Microsoft has settled on a number of popular but more complex search types that it says will differentiate it from the competition. These include shopping, travel, news, health, maps, images and video.