Live Search updates and improvements

Live Search has been updated and improved, read the press announcement here.

I noticed the UI is a little different, which caught me offguard at first. Couple of things I'll comment on:

• Increased index - I have to admit to an occasional search on that other search engine to make sure I was getting comprehensive results, I'm glad to see a larger search index. Some of my searches are pretty specific and technical so maybe I'm not the best judge of the validity of search results, but a bigger index can't be a bad thing.
• Understanding Query Intent - About time! Google has done a fantastic job of this, although maybe sometimes to aggressive for my usage and the acronym hell that is technology.
• Health.live.com - while the research I'm aware of suggests that ~2% of search queries are health related, finding an answer is probably of higher priority than searching for the latest DVD releases. Maybe this means more to me as I trend towards "bringing up the age curve." ;)

My wife and kids still tend to use Google despite my "recommendations," but that's ok...

BTW....check out Tafiti to see SilverLight extend the Live Search experience. Make sure you play with the TreeView for results...kinda neat, but I admit to being distracted by the cool visuals:(. Plus it has a cool Halo 3 theme right now.