The Only Thing Live About Kumo Is the Buzz
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News Commentary. Argh. All yesterday, I resisted this "Kumo" crap, but now there's so much babbling about it that a response is required. |
According to WHOIS, Microsoft redirected Kumo.com, which has set off speculation above Live Search rebranding to Kumo. LiveSide caught the change; Kumo.com now points to Microsoft servers, namely NS.USWEST.SEARCH.LIVE.COM, NS.USEAST.SEARCH.LIVE.COM and NS.ANYCAST.SEARCH.LIVE.COM.
You know, it's quite a leap to go from Kumo.com pointing to Microsoft servers to Kumo becoming the Live Search rebrand sometime next year. I know it's a slow news week, with the U.S. holiday. But everybody from Michael Arrington to Henry Blodget to Mary Jo Foley to Giga OM has got an opinion on this Kumo rebranding. There is lots of speculation and not too much substance.
"Kumo" is supposed to be Japanese for something. Pick your Kanji, and you get either "cloud" or "spider." OK, spiders crawl the Web and index it. Search is a cloud service. Pick a meaning; both could apply. But Kumo? Live is better.
Internal debates about Live branding have raged within Microsoft for years. There are perennial discussions that have gone nowhere different. Could Microsoft be really serious this time? Maybe. Is Kumo it? Probably not, now, anyway. But speculation is cheap and easy, and it is a slow news week, after all.
So in keeping with the spirit of Kumo, the spider that balloons into the clouds, I'll suggest some other Live rebrands:
- Bleech, which according to Urban Dictionary is "that grossed out feeling like you have slugs in your mouth."
- Ponk, which is either the mother of all swear words (Urban Dictionary) or a "variety of roasted millet available only in" India (Wikipedia).
- Usagi, which is Japanese for bunny.
- Pardosa, which is a genus of spiders.
None of these suggestions is meant to be taken seriously. But if you've got a serious suggestion, please cough it up either in comments or by e-mail.
By the way, I could see Kumo as brand for something else, maybe a Microsoft-branded smartphone.
[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com].
Comments (8)
I'd suggest hukairs, but I'm not sure that's there's anyone listening.
Posted by Philip Daniels | November 24, 2008 3:44 AM
Dead Search?
Posted by Colage | November 24, 2008 5:54 AM
Joe you hinted at the failure of the Live branding when you started to equate it to Hailstorm back in 2005.
www.microsoft-watch.com /content/operating_systems/microsoft_live_hailstorm_take_2.html
Then again in 2006.
February 13, 2006 8:01 AM
Microsoft's 'Live': Another .Net Disaster in the Making?
www.microsoft-watch.com /content/business_applications/microsofts_live_another_net_disaster_in_the_making.html
What is so surprising for others to find out that a rebranding does not a improvement make? Congrats for publishing that in foresight to these current events. Which once again only come to show the nature of Microsoft.
Posted by Gerardo Tasistro | November 24, 2008 10:01 AM
Huckabee.
A great presidential candidate and a great sounding branding name. Good luck buying it from Mike though.
Posted by Terrance B. | November 24, 2008 10:40 AM
People should just stick with the old name and improve the product. New names shouldn't be the second coat of paint over a poorly maintained home.
Posted by Mars VZ | November 25, 2008 1:43 AM
"Dead" or maybe "Vapid" or maybe "YaHoo"...
Posted by Not in Space | November 29, 2008 12:45 PM
zune is the name for the microsoft smartphone.
kumho could be manyn. things but i dount they will rebraand live when they have Xbox live and Zune live to build upon
Posted by zune | December 7, 2008 8:28 AM
I agree with Mars VZ.
Everyone knew what Hotmail and MSN was. Integrating services is fine but keep the familiar names so everyone instantly knows what is what.
Posted by bobdevis | January 27, 2009 10:17 AM