MSN creates Google News competitor

Microsoft has launched a beta version of a competitor to the popular Google News automated headline site — MSN Newsbot. In addition to an English-language UK site, MSN has launched versions for France, Italy and Spain. According to the site, Newsbot is an experimental, automated news service that gathers news from more than 4,000 sites. Unlike Google, the site says it offers personalization: “If you sign in to Passport, we can personalize the news site based on your interests: showing you news from sources you’ve chosen in the past, or suggesting stories based on your previous interests.” The site was developed in partnership with Moreover Technologies.