Microsoft launches Bing search engine
updated 12:10 pm EDT, Thu May 28, 2009
Microsoft Bing
Microsoft today tried to rekindle its search engine efforts through Bing (link active soon), a new service it hopes will fix problems with conventional search. The new tool is organized around common tasks like shopping or trip planning and has an Explore Pane that automatically suggests navigation and searches; it also has a "best match" to highlight what Bing thinks is the best answer and, in certain cases, shows the information the user was looking for on the page itself rather than requiring an additional click.
When shopping, it can find user opinions and reviews of products, while travel searches will compare prices at different providers.
The service should gradually become more accessible over the next few days and should be fully ready by June 3rd.
Microsoft's entry is a critical step for the company, which has so far failed to dislodge Google from its top spot in search and eventually backed out of a possible takeover of Yahoo it had intended would give Google valid competition by combining market share. The Redmond-based firm posted a rare revenue drop this past winter due to troubles in its core Windows business and without significant compensation from its Live search services.
Questionable
05/28, 12:40pm reply
Yet another rehash that sounds like a "me too!" attempt. I wonder what priorities these searches use, and how much one has to pay to have their webservice represented in these focused searches.
One this is for darn sure: aside advertising to the side of search results would be a lot easier to focus on the user.
danviento
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2005
no microsoft branding
05/28, 01:00pm reply
no microsoft branding on the page (thus far). probably a shrewd marketing move.
rbsandka
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2002
yay!
05/28, 01:01pm reply
i'm just SURE they'll get it right this time :-)
they added seahorses. that should fix everything.
rtbarry
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Chandler...
05/28, 01:10pm reply
Could Microsoft BE any lamer?
ibook_steve
Moderator
Joined: Oct 2001
YA-HOO!
05/28, 01:32pm reply
Was this article about MS or Yahoo, cause I just read the same thing about Yahoo's home page redesign last month, and prior to that I saw Google add some of these same groupings to their search.
I also read somewhere that seahorse DNA is what powers the new search engine.
BING!
ClevelandAdv
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2004
Logo
05/28, 01:46pm reply
Ewwwww...that logo is nasty. Looks like someone sat on it or something. I know they're trying to get all Web 2.0, but it looks like a hack. Plus, they're kerning is all off on "Coming Soon."
Sorry to get all typographic-geek here, but this just continues to highlight Microsoft's design acumen.
akulavolk
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2007
Re: Logo
05/28, 02:08pm (1 reply) reply
And 99% of the people on the internet never would notice or care.
However, you're on notice! You only complained about two of the five visual elements on the web site. Couldn't you mention that an ellipsis should only have three dots? Or that the last one jumps to orange, rather than fading into orange?
Of course, if the page were perfect, you'd probably complain about them spending too much time on making the kerning correct, and not enough and making the underlying software any good...
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
99%
05/28, 02:58pm reply
do you have some statistics to back that up? exactly 99% of people on the internet would never notice or not care? what if only 98% wouldn't notice but 99.3% wouldn't care?
of course you'd probably complain about the company that issued the statistics spending too much time on meaningless statistics and not enough on improving their analysis to the nth decimal point.
nat
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
nat
05/28, 03:20pm reply
What did I say about you being quiet? Enough already. You're as much of a troll as I am.
luckyday
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Joined: Apr 2008
ibooksteve
05/28, 03:21pm reply
What a wonderful post from a moderator of all people. Good one.
luckyday
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2008