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Apple products top Bing's 2012 top search list
Microsoft has just revealed Bing's top search terms for 2012, and while the company's own products only make a couple of appearances, Apple dominates the list with five of the top 10 keywords. Unsurprisingly, iPhone 5 tops the list, followed closely by iPad in second place. The "iPad 3" pops up in the number five spot, followed by the iPod touch and then the iPhone 4S in the number nine slot. Microsoft's own Xbox ranks number seven, with Windows 8 clinging to the top 10 list in the very last spot. You can check out the full list of Bing's 2012 top consumer electronics search terms below. iPhone 5 iPad Samsung Galaxy S III Kindle iPad 3 iPod Touch Xbox PlayStation 3 iPhone 4S Windows 8 Interestingly, the iPhone 5 also makes an appearance in the news topic section as well. The iPhone 5 announcement ranks as the top searched news story of the year, beating out the 2012 Elections, 2012 Olympics, Facebook IPO and even Hurricane Sandy. [Via: VentureBeat]
Mike Wehner11.27.2012
Get Your Google Back: a hilarious video meant for Windows 8 converts
For those unaware, Windows 8 went on sale today. If all goes well, millions upon millions of Wintel users will be switching the latest OS in the coming months, and there's a giant in Mountain View that's severely concerned about the future of your searches. You see, Microsoft has done a fine job of pushing Internet Explorer and Bing into Windows 8, leaving Google loyalists nowhere to turn. Until now. After the break, you'll enjoy a lighthearted video from the masterminds at Google, explaining precisely how to Get Your Google Back. It's as simple as visiting getyourgoogleback.com on your Windows 8 machine, and then installing both Chrome and the Google Search app. Oh, and bonus points for "Aw yeah."
Darren Murph10.26.2012
New York Times releases Windows 8 app for all the news that's fit to tile
The newspaper of record announced today that it will be arriving on Windows 8 tomorrow, offering up full articles, videos, photos and blogs to subscribers. Non-subscribers, on the other hand, will just get access to the Top News section. Also new in the world of New York Times / Microsoft teamups is the arrival of a NYT channel in the Bing News app. More info on both after the break.
Brian Heater10.25.2012
Google goes back to basics, announces GSA 7.0 for all of your enterprise searching needs
Long before retail outlets were flooded with Android-powered electronics, Google embarked on its maiden voyage into the world of hardware. Venturing out into uncharted waters, the then only web search company released a glaring yellow box known as the Google Search Appliance. Sticking to its search engine roots, Google's first piece of enterprise hardware was designed to help its customers perform fast and effective searches of internal networks. While the GSA may not be the search juggernaut's most noteworthy piece of equipment, it doesn't mean that the company has abandoned its original vision for the platform. On Tuesday Google announced its GSA 7 series, which introduces a new user interface, enhanced search tools and the ability to manage larger databases. According to the company, a single rack of its new search appliance can now maintain the equivalent of its web search index in 2000, which is around 1 billion webpages. Not just settling for companies using its office software suite, Google will be targeting large scale organizations with its new GSA. By remembering what brought it to the dance, the search giant appears to be setting the stage to transition from consumer to corporate search kingpin in the coming years. The only foreseeable threat to this enterprise search engine would be Microsoft releasing a corporate Bing Box, but something tells us not to hold our breath waiting for that to happen.
Mark Hearn10.09.2012
Microsoft announces updates for Windows 8 built-in apps, just in time for October 26th launch
All signs point toward the impending general availability of Windows 8, what with the upcoming OS launch event, the Surface RT finally hitting the FCC, and Paul Allen letting the world knows what he thinks of it. In light of this, the Redmond company has announced a final update push to the built-in apps you'll find in Windows 8. The Bing update will be first out the gate tomorrow -- it promises richer search results for local content -- with the rest rolling out through October 26th. Also of note is Music, which touts "expanded music services" as an update (Xbox Music, anyone?). If you're itching to know what built-in apps will be updated, you can get the full and extensive list after the break.
Nicole Lee10.04.2012
Windows 8 RTM: what's new in the final build of Windows 8?
It's been two weeks since Microsoft signed off on Windows 8, and shipped the final code to manufacturers prepping shiny new computers. Today, another round of folks are getting their hands on the code: devs, and IT pros with subscriptions to Microsoft's TechNet program. Of course, you might not be a developer or IT whiz and, if we're being honest, neither are we! Happily for us, though, Microsoft gave us an early peek at the RTM build -- the same software that will ship to consumers October 26th. Granted, Microsoft says it will continue tweaking the built-in apps, with updates coming through the Windows Store. Barring these minor changes, though, what you see here is what you'll get ten weeks from now. Meet us after the break for a summary of what's new.%Gallery-162397%
Dana Wollman08.15.2012
Bing search lets you tag Facebook friends, forces them to Google 'Bing'
Microsoft has already made its "decision" engine get all buddy-buddy with Facebook and Twitter, but now it's taking the integration one step further. You'll now actually be able to tag your friends in searches. Why, pray tell, would you need to do such a thing? Perhaps you've got a buddy who grew up in Paris and need suggestions for where to eat while you're visiting. Or maybe you've spotted an awesome hiking trail and want others to tag along. Just enter the question in the Bing side bar then tag the appropriate people. The search will show up on your timeline and others can pitch in. Of course, you could always just ask these same people via Facebook message, text or (gasp!) in person. But why would you want to simplify matters? Check out the source for more info and the video after the break.
Terrence O'Brien07.31.2012
Bing Maps piles on 215TB of new Bird's Eye imagery, proves it's a small world after all
Did you think Microsoft was done with Bing Maps updates after it threw a whopping 165TB of satellite imagery at virtual explorers? You've got another thing coming. The mapping crew in Redmond has thrown another 215TB of data over the fence, this time targeting its Bird's Eye views. Most of the attention is on Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Tokyo, although Microsoft has seen fit to sharpen up some of its US visuals in the process. All told, there's over 88,800 square miles covered by the new and updated aerial shots -- enough to make sure that we'll never have trouble finding Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland.
Jon Fingas07.18.2012
Bing Fund taking shape to help Microsoft search for the next big thing in online services
Microsoft's Online Services Division (OSD) hasn't exactly had a lot of good news to share lately, most painful being the recent $6.2 billion write-down thanks to the aQuantive acquisition, so it's turning to a higher power for its next bet. The company appears to be creating an angel incubator called the Bing Fund, which would foster startups that could "bring a wave of innovation to OSD" -- which currently includes MSN, adCenter and, of course, Bing. While the company is being slightly coy about the details of Bing Fund, hosting only the tangerine teaser shown above at BingFund.com, some digging by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley has revealed that Rahul Sood will be the chief cherub of this angel fund, stepping away from the Entertainment and Devices Division (aka the Xbox Division). Who better, we say, than the open-minded Voodoo PC founder who famously cut his chocolate birthday cake with a MacBook Air and later said: "Every executive in the PC industry should use an Apple notebook."
Tim Stevens07.09.2012
Microsoft takes $6.2 billion of lumps on fizzled aQuantive online ad acquisition
Among all the Windows 8, WP8 and Surface excitement of late, Redmond has also dropped a chunk of less shiny happy news: its online services division is taking a goodwill writeoff of $6.2 billion as a result of its ill-fated aQuantive acquisition in 2007. Not coincidentally, that's almost exactly what it paid for the company, which it brought in to create pre-Bing online ad revenue -- back when Mountain View was eating even more of its lunch in search. The software giant said that aQuantive didn't "accelerate growth" as much as intended, although it added that it still provides assets for its internet advertising activities. With the advent of tablets and smartphones since then, it seems unlikely we'll see any of its now-quaint tech -- like shopping cart-mounted computers -- again.
Steve Dent07.03.2012
Bing Venue Maps gets global-sized update, makes Euros' shopping trips easier
In case you thought all those 165TB of satellite shots would slow down the Bing Maps updates -- think again. And while this one might not be as loaded as the aforementioned goods, the latest refresh to Redmond's mapping service is likely to make at least a few shopaholic Europeans very happy. To make things short, Microsoft -- in partnership with Nokia -- is taking Bing Venue Maps over to the Vieux Continent, boosting the total number of mall-friendly maps to over 2,700, and making it more than 30 countries in which the offering's now live. For those unfamiliar with Venue Maps, the service allows you to find stores, bathrooms and even ATMs located within a good amount of shopping malls across North America, Europe and Asia. Even better, you can see if your favorite spot is one of them at the source link below, where you'll find the full list of venues supported.
Edgar Alvarez06.28.2012
Bing Maps gets another 165TB of satellite images, Google Earth seen sulking in a corner
Thought that Google had cornered the market on free, overhead-view photo mapping solutions? You clearly don't reside in Redmond, because Bing Maps' aerial image library just got another 165TB worth of hi-res data that covers an additional 38 million square kilometers of the globe. To put that in perspective, Microsoft's mapping solution previously had but 129TB worth of such eye-in-the-sky imagery, so this new batch of satellite shots more than doubles your viewing pleasure. Go ahead, check out all the new visuals at the source link below, we promise not to tell the folks in Mountain View.
Michael Gorman06.25.2012
Microsoft job posting hints at Connected Car strategy: Azure, Kinect and WP8
Redmond seems to have more grandiose ideas for Connected Car than it's let on before, judging from a recent help wanted ad on its site. Reading more like PR for its car-based plans, the job notice waxes poetically about using "the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem" in an upcoming auto platform with tech such as Kinect, Azure, Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Those products would use face-tracking, speech and gestures to learn your driving habits and safely guide or entertain you on the road, according to the software engineer listing. It also hints that everything would be tied together using Azure's cloud platform, so that your favorite music or shortcuts would follow you around, even if you're not piloting your own rig. All that makes its original Connected Car plans from 2009 seem a bit laughable -- check the original video for yourself after the break.
Steve Dent06.25.2012
Bing one-ups knowledge graph, hires Encyclopaedia Britannica to supply results
It may have retired from the cut-throat world of print, but Encyclopaedia Britannica is enjoying a renaissance by supplying results to Bing. Search for a topic and a Knowledge Graph-esque box will offer supplementary information to help you on your way. If it's a topic that the Britannica editors haven't gotten around to covering (Jersey Shore, for example) then the search engine will instead pull the information from Wikipedia, Freebase and Qwicki. Now we're just hoping Bing doesn't plan to revive those door-to-door booksellers, we're a sucker for a good sales pitch.
Daniel Cooper06.08.2012
Bing now more social in the US, hopes you 'like' it and tweet about it
There's no doubt the Redmond team is spending a hefty amount of time enhancing its search engine at any chance it gets. Adding to the Linked tweaks we'd previously seen, Microsoft's now making Bing more social -- at least in the US of A. The most recent changes bring a Metro-driven interface to the homepage, which boasts that Microsoft "three column design" we laid eyes on earlier this month. Naturally, the revamp will open the doors to improved search results, but this, of course, will depend heavily on if you're up to linking your Facebook, Twitter or other social network accounts with Bing. That said, something tells us you're definitely up to it.
Edgar Alvarez06.01.2012
Nokia has its wicked way with Bing Maps, stork delivers traffic advice and geocoding
We already knew that Nokia had been running its fingers through Bing's map-like hair, marking it with its scent, now it's added a little lipstick to its collar. The latest addition to the Microsoft-mapping service now uses Nokia's live traffic and geocoding algorithms. This brings the functionality of Nokia's "Where" platform over to 24 nations (including the US, UK and Canada) of Bing users. Best of all for American maps that info also covers side streets. Good to see the Nokia / Microsoft collaboration yielding ever more fruits, let's just hope they're considering the bigger picture, too.
James Trew05.25.2012
Microsoft takes Bing Streetside offline in Germany, privacy complaints to blame
Germany is notoriously privacy-minded, and services like Facebook's Friend Finder and Google's Street View have come under scrutiny in the country's courts. The latest offender to raise Germany's ire is Bing Streetside, a Street View-style photo service. Microsoft took the feature offline in the country following complaints about how Streetside displays private homes. By default, houses are visible, though Microsoft conceals the images if users submit a complaint. Still, citizens were apparently unhappy with this process, which prompted the company to axe the service while it addresses those privacy concerns. There's always Street View if you need your fix of blurred-out Berlin buildings in the meantime.
Sarah Silbert05.23.2012
Bing gets big remake with Snapshot, social sidebar, dig at Google (video)
Microsoft's determination to ratchet up the search engine wars just got clearer with a major rethink of Bing that includes a few potshots at Google. While the search results themselves are still prominent, there's now a Snapshot area in the middle that aggregates the common tasks linked to your search, such as booking a hotel room. Bing hasn't avoided the siren's call of putting social networking into search results, putting in both search hits as well as the option of asking friends, but has tucked the results into a social sidebar at the far right. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has already declared it a far better alternative to Google+ in-line results, which it sees "cluttering your results with social updates." You'll currently have to use a desktop web browser to see all the new Bingness, although Microsoft is promising a mobile-friendly update within weeks.
Jon Fingas05.10.2012
Microsoft updates Bing Translator for Windows Phone with offline features (video)
Never again will Windows Phone owners worry about ordering raw beef in Spain without first knowing what'll arrive on their plate. That's because the crew at Microsoft have updated the Bing Translator app, which is available for free in the Marketplace. It now allows users to point their cameras at otherwise unintelligible text and then view a proper translation as an overlay on the photograph. As another nifty trick, Bing Translate allows users to speak phrases into their phone, which will then be audibly translated into a foreign language of choice. Most impressive, however, is the app's new offline capabilities, which can be enabled with the simple download of a language pack. Bing Translator supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Chinese Simplified, and if you'd like a peek into its functionality, just hop the break for the video.
Zachary Lutz04.17.2012
Microsoft adds new feature to Bing, wants you to stay Linked (video)
Looks like Microsoft isn't done flipping the switch on fresh bits within its beloved search engine. The new feature, dubbed Linked Pages, can "decide how you look to your first crush" by allowing you to select which results are actually related to you. If you're bent on making it easier for people to stalk you, then all you need to do is pop in your Facebook credentials and allow the Bing app to do its magic once it's accessed your account. The Redmond folks say you'll be able to link anything from a blog, personal site, organizations or your friends (just make sure to ask first). Unfortunately those of you outside of the States looking to Bing yourself are out of luck for now. In the meantime, head past the break to check out a full-on tutorial courtesy of The Bing Team.
Edgar Alvarez02.23.2012