As Satya outlined in his post, it’s an exciting time for Bing for Mobile.
Last month, Windows Phone 7 hit store shelves showcasing an intuitive implementation of Bing, organizing search alongside the most common things that you do every day. The excitement continues today with the launch of updates to the Bing for Mobile iPhone and Android Apps. The updates streamline how you discover relevant local information, allowing you to do more while on the go.
Bing for Mobile iPhone App Update
Let’s look at the new features for the Bing for Mobile iPhone App. To check it out visit the App Store here.
Streamlined Homepage: The homepage has received a facelift with an enriched layout and design for easier navigation and feature discoverability.
Find the Perfect Restaurant: Autosuggest got a boost, allowing you to refine searches on the fly. With a tap of the finger, you can easily find the perfect restaurant with the cuisine, price, location and atmosphere you want.
Search, Find, Decide and Book: Once you’ve decided where you want to go, finalize plans by reserving a table on OpenTable or order takeout from Grubhub – without leaving the Bing app.
See Before You Go: Familiarize yourself with a location before you go, using Bing Streetside. Streetside, a new mobile mapping feature, provides a multi-street level panorama of a location so you can take a virtual walk through the streets with a view of a locations and landmarks. As you slide the street level imagery sideways, the view of the sidewalk is seamlessly constructed including an overlay of business listings, street names and store fronts.
Check–In: When you get to your destination, check-in with Bing and simultaneously update your Facebook, Foursquare and Windows Live Messenger status.
Go Social with your Plans: Looking to plan a last-minute meet-up or happy hour? The new “Plan” feature lets you share local search results directly to your Facebook Wall, and plan a night based on the “likes” and comments of your friends.
Location-Based Reminders: Forgot to pick up your dry cleaning? Now use the “Reminder” feature that lets you know when you’re close to a location. Set a reminder from the detail business listing page, type a custom message and Bing will remind you the next time you’re near the location.
Never Miss the Bus: We’ve
added a real-time transit updates for Boston, San Francisco and Seattle, so you
never miss the bus again (more cities to come). Real-time transit shows if a bus is on schedule,
early or delayed, with predictions for arrival times. Standard transit routes for 11 cities are also live including Boston,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and Vancouver BC with more to come.
Voice Search: Voice search, powered by Microsoft Tellme, is faster than before and allows you to fine-tune your existing search using your voice, without having to repeat the entire search. Tips and hints have also been added, providing helpful information on how best to use voice search to complete tasks.
See it? Search it!: “Bing Vision” lets you search using your phone’s camera. Bring an object into view and Bing will detect text and present a tool to select words for a search. If the object has a barcode, Bing will instantly return product results. Bing Vision can detect product information from UPC codes and cover art for books, CD, DVDs and video games.
Bing for Mobile Android App Update
The Bing for Mobile Android App is available for download on all major U.S. mobile operators through the Android Market – and today we launched an updated version of the app. Below is an overview of some of the new updates:
What’s Nearby: Bing will automatically detect “what’s nearby” and present dynamic and full category search pages.
Bookmark Images: We know how much you love Bing images, and now you can bookmark any image result from the Web to the device.
Expand Your Search: The Search Widget allows you to search third party apps (e.g. Yelp), in addition to contacts, apps, audio files and the Web. (Only apps with registered data can be surfaced in search results.)
Search, Share, Decide and Book: To make planning a night out easier, share search results with friends using any loaded app that can accept and share content by using the “share” command. And, with the integration of OpenTable and GrubHub into the Bing for Mobile search results, you can make reservations or order take out – without switching between apps.
For additional screenshots of the Bing for Mobile iPhone or Android Apps, please visit the Bing Newsroom on Microsoft News Center.
– Andy Chu, Director Product Management, Bing for Mobile