Articles about Bing

It is no secret that with the introduction of Windows 8.1, SkyDrive, the Microsoft cloud-based storage solution, will get much deeper integration. But now the company is detailing a bit more than what had already been gleaned from the RTM, announcing a new Smart Files feature, incorporating Bing with it.

Smart Files has been merged into SkyDrive in version 8.1 of Windows, but the company has revealed more details about how it will work and what customers can expect.

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Two days ago Apple rolled out its latest mobile operating system offering, iOS 7. To compliment this new release, Microsoft is making sure to keep up with the latest version of the OS, by pushing out a brand new version of the Bing app. The company is hitting Apple hard with integration right into the heart of the platform.

"With the release of iOS 7 this week, you can now experience Bing search results in Siri", the software giant announces. The Bing search within Siri aims to deliver various types of results, keeping you from going to the web browser to view the same list of results. Microsoft explains, "for example, when you ask Siri a question, you will either see a specific answer or search results from Bing, including web links, related searches, images and video".

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If there's one thing that I wholeheartedly dislike about the tech world it's being told about a brand new product that really appeals, and then having to wait ages for it. It's like that someone who told me about it wants to toy with me, psychologically torture me and, when I couldn't care less about that new and shiny thing, give it to me. Of course, I'm now blowing things out of proportion, but I want you to understand, at some level, how it feels when I'm entrusting part of my tech life to Microsoft.

For some incomprehensible reason, in 2013 Microsoft is still using the expression "rolling out". It defines a vague date of availability for any new changes that it announces. How outdated is that? You may think that Microsoft's roll outs have a specific role, of insuring extra stability and providing a seamless transition, to the new version for its users. But that is, in my opinion, such a pathetic excuse that only a two-year old who is baited with candy by his parents might be inclined to believe.

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Microsoft's new Bing logo brings the search engine in line with the look of Office, and also heralds the introduction of a new interface and new features. Gone is the rounded, bubbly typeface, replaced with a new angled appearance that matches other products from Microsoft's stables. Taking a leaf out of the Modern design book, the Bing search page mirrors elements found in Windows Phone and Windows 8, and also includes the now-familiar Segoe font.

A new two-column design aims to ensure that the information you need is always at hand -- the second column is used to display information related to the search that's being performed such as photos and status updates. Part of this is the new Page Zero feature which Microsoft describes as "finding without searching". Enter the name of a celebrity to see a snapshot of pertinent information about that person.

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In August, Microsoft's search engine Bing launched a contest for all the photographers out there, calling for them to submit images for a chance to win a rather nice prize package. Professionals and amateurs alike were invited to send in images depicting hometown pride by grabbing a stunning shot of the local environment.

Today this contest reaches its most crucial juncture. Bing has narrowed the choices down to ten and now the decision moves to the people.

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Today Microsoft refreshes the look of Bing News, giving the site a modern makeover that’s more in keeping with the look of Windows 8 and Windows Phone. But the redesign is about more than bringing products in line with each other, the new layout is "built for touch" recognizing the ever-increasing popularity of touchscreen devices -- not just phones and tablets, but also the likes of the Surface Pro and Yoga.

The new look not only embraces touch, but also takes into account the fact that many people use different devices to access the internet -- switching between a phone, tablet and computer is far from uncommon these days. With this in mind, the site now better adapts to different screen sizes.

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In its continuing effort to thwart the evil Google (except when partnered with it) Microsoft announces another improvement to its search engine alternative, this time in the form of video. Microsoft terms this update "completely reimagined", but users can be the judge of that.

"We know there is more than one great video service out there and that’s why we showcase the best the web has to offer. On Bing you can not only find great videos from YouTube, Hulu and Vimeo, but also content from Dailymotion, Vevo, MTV, CBS, MSN and more", says the Bing video search team.

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In today's search market, simply having the audacity to take on Google seems somewhat absurd, but Bing, despite the long odds, continues to plug away at it. Sometimes it is with innovation, sometimes with mud-slinging. Today, thankfully, it is the former. The Microsoft search engine, in the midst of the Steve Ballmer news, is announcing another improvement to its offerings.

The latest change comes in the form of a new product search experience. "Harnessing the depths of our index encompassing tens of millions of individual products and trained by advanced machine learning, Bing will now show you relevant products directly in the main results page. You no longer need to waste time navigating to a dedicated 'shopping' experience to find what you’re looking for. Based on your intent, we'll serve the best results", promises the Bing team.

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Microsoft already seems to spend a lot of time pushing Office 365 into schools, but the company is beginning to now move down the same path with Bing. Today the company announces a brand new initiative named, unimaginatively but accurately, Bing for Schools.

What's more, the search engine is taking a philanthropic approach, claiming this is "designed to improve digital literacy for students by putting technology in classrooms, helping students learn how to use the power of search, and making sure they can do it in a safer, ad-free environment".

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Turns out that today is World Photography Day and while Google failed to even note the event with one of its Doodles, rival Bing has taken notice of the occasion. Unsurprising really, considering Microsoft's search engine is well known for its daily images that feature various stunning pictures from a range of subjects.

Today Bing announces a partnership with Discovery to set up a contest for photographers of all ability levels. "We’re excited to invite you to be a part of Bing's Hometown Homepage Photo Contest" says Michael Kroll, Principal UX Manager at Bing.

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Windows 8 users already enjoy the Bing app suite on their laptops, desktops and tablets. Since these apps are very mobile and touch-focused, it has been disappointing and rather curious that they were absent from Microsoft's own Windows Phone 8 platform. But, now, it finally arrives.

The suite is comprised of four Bing apps -- Sports, Finance, Weather and News. The apps closely mirror their desktop counterparts; including live tiles. The live tiles are nothing short of gorgeous and improve the value of the home screen immensely. By pinning the apps to the "Start" page, the user is presented with ongoing information. Tapping on the live tile delivers personalized information. I must say that the suite is, well... sweet.

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500px is a famous app for photographers -- but there are other reasons for its renown, most notably its temporary ban by Apple from the App Store on the grounds that it provided easy access to pornographic material. Regardless of that seemingly bad publicity, the service has signed a new a photography deal with Microsoft.

Bing has an iconic home screen that features a new image every day, showing off spectacular photography from around the globe. The company brags that "by following a simple, consistent theme of one beautiful image per day to show a unique perspective on the world our homepage has become synonymous with great photography".

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While Android users are tightly integrated with Google Search, Windows Phone 8 users are even more tightly integrated with Bing. Heck, there is even a button that is dedicated to launching Bing Search. Today, the Bing Team announces that the search engine-related functionality is getting a brand new makeover to improve the experience on Windows Phone 8.

According to the Bing Team, the company will "...roll out a set of global updates for Windows Phone 8 similar to recent upgrades we've made to Bing.com on Android and iOS. With this release, we're excited to provide people with more info they need on their mobile device, including additional instant answers and Snapshot entity information". While this update is appreciated, it is disappointing that Microsoft gave similar updates to Android and iOS first.

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Bing has become the first of the big search engines to display pop up warnings whenever anyone from the UK uses it to look for child abuse images.

When someone enters any of the keywords from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop)’s blacklist into the search site a warning will be displayed informing them that "Child abuse material is illegal" and providing help and advice from Stopitnow.org.

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I love Bing. There aren’t many products (Xbox) that I’ll admit to being a fanboy of but Bing is getting pretty close to that status for me. I’m an oddity because most people don’t use Bing at all; either because they’ve used it and didn’t get the results they wanted, or based on word of mouth about it being so terrible. I don’t know where you fall, but I would bet most of you reading this don’t use or even like Bing. That’s unfortunate because you’re missing out.

Yes, Bing is good. But why do so many people hate it? Why do so many googlers refuse to even give it a try? Why do those who actually do give it a try, enter one search query, fail to get the results they want, and go back to Google, never giving Bing a second chance?

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