In mid 2007, Microsoft announced that it was moving ahead into the next stage of the evolution of its Windows Live suite of products and services. The main growth to the cloud operating system was delivered throughout September, with a wide range of new betas for all Windows Live offerings. Live Search was by no means overlooked, on the contrary in fact, the search engine under the Windows Live brand umbrella has suffered some of the most consistent advances compared to other services in the Microsoft cloud.

Towards the end of September, the Redmond company took Live Search from the initial variant introduced back in 2005 to version 2.0. And while Live Search 2.0 brought to the table an extensive range of improvements in terms of core relevance, increased index size to 20 billion web pages, enhanced speed and graphical user interface along with revamped search capabilities, Microsoft had more in store. With the latest updates dropped for Live Search, Microsoft finalizes the release of Live Search 2.0. This time around, the focus was placed on delivering new services and features to the local and mobile search areas of Live Search.

"Collectively, these improvements build on the work we did in core relevance and differentiated vertical experiences, and are an important milestone in our efforts in delivering a comprehensive, innovative search offering that includes mobile, mapping, Web and local services for customers to find what they need, when they need it, on any device", said Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the Search & Advertising Platform Group at Microsoft.

The new features and enhancements for Live Search 2.0 include allowing users streamlined access to maps and directions as well as closer integrating the search engine with mobile devices. Microsoft introduced updates to driving directions, visualization and 3-D, local content index and the Virtual Earth platform. On top of these changes, Live Search also offers voice input via Windows Mobile, Live Search 411 a toll-free number designed to connect users to locations across the U.S., as well as a new version of the search engine tailor fitted on BlackBerry Devices.