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The product also attempts to take advantage of Microsoft's domination in desktop software to integrate itself with the leading office and email applications as well as other MSN services.

As such the search tool supports 200 file types including Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail files, Outlook Contacts or Calendar files and email attachments. It can also search Word 2003, Excel 2003, PowerPoint 2003 file formats. Among the non-Microsoft formats supported are MP3, GIF and JPEG files, and Adobe or .PDF files. Searches can take place from Internet Explorer, Outlook

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or the Windows desktop.

The full title of the products is the MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search and it was first announced in December of last year in response to announcements from search rivals Yahoo! and Google.

The final release of the product comes two months after Google launched its own desktop search product out of beta. Searching from the desktop was originally slated to be a feature of 'Longhorn', the next version of Windows. However, delays to Longhorn meant that Google could get its product out first and force Microsoft, always wary of anyone who encroaches on its desktop turf, to follow suit.

Redmond also gave a hint of what is to come by announcing that in the coming months the toolbar will introduce an integrated Tabbed Browsing feature, giving one-click access to favourite sites in the same window. Where does Microsoft get its ideas from?

The MSN Search Toolbar is available at the MSN web site. The current version is US English. Microsoft says that international versions should be available later this year.