Microsoft for Consumers

Close on the heels of a major revamp of its Internet portal site, MSN.com, Microsoft is announcing major changes in several key sites to focus more heavily on helping consumers to research and buy products and services.

Expedia, Microsoft’s travel site, today will launch an upgraded version that dumps its travel magazine format in favor of a tighter focus on selecting and buying airline tickets, renting cars and reserving hotel rooms.

CarPoint, the Microsoft site for choosing and purchasing autos, on Thursday will launch the beta version of a new CarPoint that includes an online personalized car maintenance program that sends e-mail, for example, when a customer needs an oil change or checkup and detailed information on the typical cost of such maintenance.

Sidewalk, Microsoft’s entertainment site, will undergo the most dramatic overhaul as it pushes from its base in just a few major cities to a presence in more than 70. The service will also add an ambitious yellow pages directory that allows users, for example, to compare features on televisions, read reviews and find nearby locations where such products might be sold.