In a competitive realignment of the heated Internet industry, Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are expected to announce Wednesday that consumers using their free communications services -- including instant messaging and computer-to-computer voice calling -- will be able to communicate directly with each other for the first time, say people familiar with the matter. he expected linkup of Microsoft's and Yahoo's communications services would immediately challenge the leading instant-messaging market share of Time Warner Inc.'s America Online unit. AOL has a 56% market share world-wide, according to research firm Radicati Group Inc. It has long resisted letting users of other instant-messaging services connect with its own. A combined Yahoo and Microsoft could command 44% of the global instant-messaging market, according to Radicati.
Wall St Journal

YIM si Microsoft Messenger ofera optiuni de cautare web direct din clientul de IM.