WebProNews

AOL is not very good at keeping secrets. News is out that AOL's desktop search solution will be powered by Copernic, which pretty much assures that an agreement is in place between the two companies.

While Yahoo has announced a deal with X1, AOL's pact with Copernic is a smarter move. X1 is processor-heavy and RAM intensive, which means that Yahoo will have to trim it down a lot, in order to make a free download feasible. Meanwhile, Copernic is more efficient and less draining - I've never seen a slowdown with it installed - and should be a more compelling download.

Update: Does this impact Mamma.com's letter of intent to acquire Copernic? The two companies are a good match, but should AOL try and woo Copernic at the last minute? After all, they're going to license their technology. It would be cheaper for AOL to acquire Copernic now, before they become part of Mamma, then AOL would have to buy both. Just some speculation. ;-)

Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world's most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.

You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.