Tech Giants' Battleground

Round 1: Microsoft challenges Google's dominance by bidding for Yahoo Round 2: Parties slug it out for ultimate control of mobile phones By Alfred Siew, Technology Correspondent

Cellphone war

The fight will continue on the small screen of cellphones, as faster wireless networks let people share pictures and watch videos on the go. All three (Google, Microsoft and Yahoo) are geared for this new market.

Online battle

77 per cent of online searches go through Google today, with Yahoo getting 16 per cent and Microsoft, only 4 per cent, according to a Net measurement firm. And so, at its wits' end, Microsoft sought to buy Yahoo, for US$44.6b.