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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.

by MacNN Staff





  1. danviento

    Joined: Dec 1969



    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.

  1. rbsandka

    Joined: Dec 1969


    no microsoft branding

    no microsoft branding on the page (thus far). probably a shrewd marketing move.

  1. rtbarry

    Joined: Dec 1969



    i'm just SURE they'll get it right this time :-)

    they added seahorses. that should fix everything.

  1. ibook_steve


    Joined: Dec 1969



    Could Microsoft BE any lamer?

  1. ClevelandAdv

    Joined: Dec 1969



    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.


  1. akulavolk

    Joined: Dec 1969



    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.

  1. testudo

    Joined: Dec 1969


    Re: Logo

    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...

  1. nat

    Joined: Dec 1969



    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.

  1. luckyday

    Joined: Dec 1969



    What did I say about you being quiet? Enough already. You're as much of a troll as I am.

  1. luckyday

    Joined: Dec 1969



    What a wonderful post from a moderator of all people. Good one.

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