TechWeek: Microsoft Makes Search Sense

When it comes to search, Microsoft(MSFT Quote) has been playing David to Google's(GOOG Quote) Goliath. But this week's acquisition of Tellme Networks will give the software giant a solid base in the nascent market for mobile Web search.

Privately held Tellme is the engine behind speech-enabled customer service telephone lines for the American Airlines unit of AMR(AMR Quote), E*Trade(ETFC Quote), FedEx(FDX Quote) and a raft of telecom carriers.

Indeed, analysts estimate that half the directory assistance calls made in the U.S. are handled by Tellme's software. ...