Windows Phone 7 Bing update: new features revealed

While Microsoft has yet to sort out the update issues for some of their Windows Phone 7 devices, it’s good to know they haven’t stopped working on updates to the operating system. According to the latest Windows Phone Dev Podcast, they’ve begun working on an improved version of Bing that will be released in the near future with the Mango update. Microsoft’s Brandon Watson came on as a guest to discuss about the new features.

The upcoming Bing will add a ton of new functionality to the operating system – while they’re by no means revolutionary, it’ll help bring Windows Phone 7 up to speed with the competition. There will be a new function called Bing Audio which allows users to recognize songs (think Shazam/SoundHound) and will provide a link to the Zune store for purchasing music.

Bing Vision will let you use your phone’s camera to read barcodes and perform OCR scans, and will possibly provide support for augmented reality apps. Bing Maps will also be upgraded with turn-by-turn voice directions. A native podcast player is also said to be included, as well as a voice-to-text feature for texting while your hands are busy. Let’s hope Mango gets released on time or earlier, so WP7 users can start enjoying these features as soon as possible.

 

George Wong
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Bing (Microsoft), mango, Microsoft, Update, Windows Phone 7