Microsoft launched a completely overhauled Bing search engine with a new logo, stunning interface, modifications to existing features and some new ones to go head to head with the Google search engine.
Microsoft has decided to focus on search engine Bing, this year. Several changes were made to the search engine including new features such as Bing translator for Windows 8 and RT in June, followed by updating Maps with additional 270 TB of Bird's-Eye Imagery and a revamped version of the app for Windows Phone 8 in August. The software giant also offered free Surface devices to schools in exchange for using its Bing search platform. The company is continuing in its efforts to make Bing as popular as Google.
Microsoft announced Monday that the new Bing was getting a fresh new look with a redesigned logo, attractive interface and modifications to existing features and some new ones at the same time. This is one of the major updates Bing has received this year. With the latest move, "Bing is no longer just a search engine on a web page," Scott Erickson, Senior Director of Brand and Creative for Bing, said in a new blog post. It is "a brand that combines search technology across products you use every day to help empower you with insights," he added.
The overhaul first shows a new, modern logo with an additional "B" and a switch to Segoe font. The logo is designed to represent its parent company and simplicity. Moving on to other changes to the search engine, Erickson highlighted a new interface on the Bing Homepage. It is more fast, clean, attractive and efficient. The company has evaluated the "fonts, spacing, color, visual scan patterns, the search box and even the underlying code" giving it a complete makeover. The new Bing search is accessible to all U.S. users while it may take a few weeks before it is rolled out to all the users globally.
By tweaking the existing features in Bing, Microsoft combined its last year's "Snapshot" and "Sidebar" functions. With the latest move, the new Bing will first display the factual data for the query and then "the human perspective," which will include status updates, photos, tweets and reviews from social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The software giant has added new features like "Page Zero" and "Pole Position." The former is a new search function, which gives users helpful information about their query before displaying the standard search results page. As users type a query, suggestions pop up at the drop down and instantly provide information about the users' query on the right with relevant links.
"For example, if you type Katy Perry, we understand what you're looking for before you've even searched and give you a quick glance of who she is and suggest other popular search tasks associated with the singer," Lawrence Ripsher, Microsoft's general manager of user experiences at Bing, explained in a company blog post.
The "Pole Position" sits on the top of the page and presents detailed information on the weather in a particular city or displays the best answer for any users' query.
Microsoft describes its latest update as a step toward the next generation of search. The new platform will also make its way to mobile devices soon.
Let us know in the comments below if you think Microsoft's new Bing platform will be able to take on Google's successful search engine.
