Posting strong search numbers in December, Google continues to gain ground on Microsoft and Yahoo. Will either firm be able to regain search market share?Hitwise's numbers show that Google has a stranglehold on 72.07% of the U.S. search market. That's up 0.10 from November's 71.97% figure. A year ago, Google held 65.98%. What's also incredible to learn is that 69.48% of all searches conducted in the U.S. were channeled through Google.

Microsoft, in comparison, rose from 5.45% to 5.56% in the same period. This leads me to question Verizon Wireless' recent decision to choose Microsoft's search platform as the default search tool in its mobile phones. What is it about 5.56% that impresses Verizon? I think Microsoft will make out better than Verizon in this deal. By becoming the default search engine on the phones of the country's largest wireless network operator, Microsoft is sure to gain some ground. But will it take from Google's market share or Yahoo's?

Yahoo's market share in December came in at 17.79%, up from 17.70% in November. Yahoo had a tough 2008, no thanks to Mirosoft's take-over actions.

If you total Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's share of the search market, it still only manages to reach 94.72%. What search tools are the other 5.28% using? Are you using a search engine other than Google, Yahoo or Microsoft? If so, what is it?