Yahoo Desktop Search has left beta. On Tuesday evening, Yahoo said it plans to make the finished version of its free desktop search software available.
The updated release includes a contextual word search function called LiveWords, which allows users to use selected text in applications like Microsoft Word as a search query. By clicking on the LiveWords button provided by the Yahoo software, users will be presented with a “search snack,” which is to say search results based on highlighted text. The software can index content from over 300 different file types, including Microsoft Office applications, Adobe PDF, and assorted music and video formats.
According to a company spokesperson, Yahoo does not disclosure how many people are using its search software. A number of other companies–including Ask Jeeves, Copernic, Google, and MSN–also offer desktop search applications.