ROBERT SORBO

Ballmer (Robert Sorbo / Microsoft)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was enthusiastic -- but also pragmatic -- in an email to employees this morning introducing the company's new "Bing" search engine, which will replace its Live Search site.

Ballmer discussed the company's search strategy, explained the reasons for the Bing name, and encouraged employees to help build the buzz for the new site when it comes out next week. Read on for the full text of the message.

Today, at the D Conference in Carlsbad, CA, I’m announcing the release of Bing, our new search engine. This is an important milestone for Microsoft as search is a critical business for us and Bing is a significant step forward in redefining search and expanding our share of the online advertising market. But Bing is just the start. We know this is a journey that will require a long-term commitment to hard work and investment in innovation in order to be successful.

We have always believed that search offers huge opportunities for innovation. Currently, only one in four searches succeeds on the first try. And while search is pretty good for navigating the Web, it’s not good at helping people use the Web to accomplish more complicated decision-based tasks.

With Bing, our goal is to do more than just make it easier for people to find information. Today, we’re delivering a powerful set of tools that will enable people to make faster, more informed decisions.

In short, Bing is a decision engine that goes beyond what people have come to think of as search—and what our competitors offer today.

A new search product requires a name that clearly signals the arrival of something unique. We chose Bing because it’s short, memorable, and symbolic of the moment when information and opportunity come together and a simple search becomes an engine for taking action.

Today, we’ll begin launching Bing internally so Microsoft employees can have an exclusive preview. You’ll find improvements that showcase innovative engineering work, including tools that automatically organize, refine, and anticipate searches. We’re also delivering strong innovation in shopping, local search, travel, and health—the areas where people want to use the Web to help them make decisions that are important to their lives.

Next week, Bing will go live outside Microsoft at bing.com. I urge you to let your friends and family know that we have created a powerful new search engine that brings fresh innovation to their Web experience.

The message concluded with an invitation to join Ballmer and Online Services Division President Qi Lu at an upcoming employee town hall meeting about Bing. Lu is also set to speak next week at the SMX Advanced 2009 search conference in Seattle, which we'll be covering.

Earlier: Yep, it's official: Microsoft rolling out new Bing 'decision engine'