Microsoft today announced a large overhaul to the company’s Internet search service Bing. With Bing tightly integrated into Windows Phone 7 already, the bulk of Bing’s update comes in the mobile space, with overhauled iOS and Android apps, which will help “streamline how you discover relevant local information, allowing you to do more while on the go.” With FanSnap integration, venue maps and seating charts are now integrated so you’ll always find the best seats in the house at the right prices when searching for sports tickets. And lastly, a new image search user experience will help you find the perfect image everytime. Click on to explore the updated features in-depth.
Mobile
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Bing’s mobile app now has a number of new changes, from a re-designed homepage layout for easier navigation to enhanced local features to help you find the right restaurants. With auto-suggest refinements, users can tap their fingers to find the right restaurant with the cuisine, price, location, and ambiance that they desire. All within the Bing app, you can also confirm and book your venue via OpenTable or Grubhub after you’ve decided on the right restaurant, and you can learn what’s around you with a street-level panorama of the restaurant with Bing Streetside so you’re acquainted with the neighborhood area. Once you get to your destination, you can check in to Facebook, Foursquare, and update your Windows Live Messenger status all within the Bing app.
After dinner, if you’re looking to catch up with friends, you can go social with the Plan feature, which will share local search results directly to your Facebook Wall and you can plan your party based on the “likes” and comments of friends. Also included in the update is a reminder feature, which will alert you to pick up the dry cleaning when you’re near the location if you use the Reminder feature. The Bing app is now also updated with public transportation maps and schedules, with predictions on when the next bus or train will come with real-time information for select cities–more cities will roll out soon.
Also, if you see something you like, you can perform searches by typing, talking, or snapping a photo with visual search.
To learn more, you can visit the Bing for Mobile blog.
Bing and FanSnap
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Bing has also introduced that it is now integrating with FanSnap to help you buy the perfect seats for the sports fan. You’ll be able to compare ticket prices from over 50 leading ticketing sites as well as get a glimpse of where your seats will be with a map of the venue and seating arrangements. You can even zoom in to a row-level view and check out how good the seats are.
Image Search
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Need to find the perfect image? Bing is now offering a better user experience to do so. When you’re searching for a general or specific term, like “Casablanca,” Bing doesn’t make you define what you’re looking for–as in Casablanca in Morocco or Casablanca as in the film. Instead, there are now tabs that can get you to where you need to be at the top with just one click.
To learn more, visit the Bing blog.
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