Microsoft announced this today:
Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has won a key distribution deal with HP, the world’s largest PC manufacturer, to install a Live Search-enabled toolbar on all HP consumer PCs planned to ship in the United States and Canada, beginning in January 2009. As part of this deal, the default search engine setting in the browser on all HP consumer PCs will also be set to Microsoft Live Search.
I think this is a very big deal for Live search. It’s the only way to win share. Google has owned Dell and Firefox, this is a way to fight back. I am sure it cost a pretty penny….