Google's new music search to rival iTunes

Google is set to take on Apple's iTunes with a music search service.

It will show songs for sale alongside existing web searches, and allow users to stream tracks to their computer.

If users search for "Kylie", for example, they see a pop-up offering to play the full song, while a MySpace box allows people to buy MP3s, watch videos and even see forthcoming concerts.

Stuart Dredge of Music Ally website said: "I don't think Apple will suffer, but this could boost traffic to their competitors, and I think overall it will be good for the music industry."

The service is only available in America, although Google is believed to be in discussions with UK music providers to offer the service here.

Google has launched a service allowing people to monitor their home energy use remotely. PowerMeter costs £69 to set up and then £2.99 per month.