bing

Microsoft finds its innovation mojo

Microsoft is a bit like Tiger Woods at the moment--industry darling that became too dominant, then had a fall accompanied by a thick layer of schadenfreude, and now is trying a come-back. Microsoft is being replaced in the big-bad-wolf department by Google and Apple and finds itself in the odd position of being an underdog, and people love to root for underdogs. In fact I'd say that Microsoft is further ahead on the comeback trail than Tiger is if you look at some of its recent announcements: Bing, Windows Phone 7, the Courier journal concept, and the just-announced IE9. … Read more

Behind Bing's blue links

LAS VEGAS--Microsoft often talks about the importance of search being more than just 10 blue links. However, it turns out that at least the "blue" part of that is very important.

When Microsoft was designing what would eventually become Bing, it tested a vast number of colors and it turned out that the one that users engaged with the most was indeed blue. More specifically, it was a shade of blue quite similar to the one used by Google.

Paul Ray, a user experience manager for Bing said on Tuesday that choosing that specific blue (#0044CC for you … Read more

Bing Maps adds a telescopic lens

Bing Maps is getting star-struck.

On Wednesday, Microsoft is adding a star-gazing feature to its Bing Maps service, allowing users to "look up" and see what the stars look like from any point on earth. I'm not sure if it is enough to make Robert Scoble shed more tears, but the new move does allow one to see the stars above them even when it is daylight.

Microsoft's Blaise Aguera y Arcas showed off the concept, which draws on Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope project, at last month's TED conference.

The Worldwide Telescope was first made … Read more

Bing use inches up in February

Microsoft's Bing grabbed 11.5 percent of all search queries in the U.S. in February, slightly higher than its 11.3 percent share the prior month, according to the latest figures from ComScore.

Yahoo, which recently won regulatory approval over a search technology and advertising deal with Microsoft, captured 16.8 percent of all queries, a slight decline of 0.2 percent from January. But Google remains the search engine champ, winning 65.5 percent of all the searches run last month, up 0.1 percent from January.

Trailing the list was the Ask Network in fourth place … Read more

Motorola bringing Bing to China, via Android

With Google's future in China uncertain, Motorola and Microsoft cut a deal to put the software giant's Bing search engine on Android handsets in China.

In a statement late Wednesday, Motorola and Microsoft announced a deal to put Bing on handsets. Bing will first launch in China in the first quarter via an over-the-air update for existing handsets. New Android devices will have Bing preloaded.

The news comes as Google is nearing a decision on whether to stay in China amid security and censorship issues.

Microsoft's Ballmer talks Bing, Twitter

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer maintains a secret Twitter account for providing running commentary on high-school basketball matches: but that doesn't mean he wants to buy the company.

Ballmer's booming voice filled the Santa Clara Convention Center on Tuesday morning at SMX West, where he was interviewed on stage by Search Engine Land's Danny Sullivan on a wide range of topics related to Microsoft, Bing, and the company's struggling yet strategically important Internet business. Having wrapped up its search deal with Yahoo and restructured a separate search and advertising deal with Facebook, it wouldn'… Read more

Billeo Offer Assistant for Firefox finds deals, discounts

I don't know about you, but most of my product searches start with Google. And most of my online purchases end with me doing some last minute searching for coupon codes.

Billeo Offer Assistant is a Firefox extension that serves up deals and discounts right in your Bing, Google, and Yahoo search results. It's not perfect, but it can definitely save you time--and help you find deals you might otherwise have missed.

After installing the plug-in and restarting Firefox, just search for a product as you normally would. Then look for the Billeo icon next to any of … Read more

Rupert Murdoch ready to sue Google?

A new profile of septuagenarian media mogul Rupert Murdoch says that the News Corp. chief is ready to press legal action against Google if talks fail with the search giant over indexing content.

In a lengthy article in New York magazine that hit the Web late on Sunday, writer Gabriel Sherman quotes a source high up in the media industry echelon who says Murdoch is "pretty tightly wound up over Google and has been ready to sue them...He doesn't trust them at all." The lawsuit, presumably, would come if Google refused to stop indexing News Corp. … Read more

Get $100 from Bing when you buy from Wirefly

Do you need a new phone? How about a 3G-powered Netbook? This might be the perfect time to buy. Wirefly.com has hooked up with Bing Cashback to offer a $100 rebate on all phones, Netbooks, and even aircards.

A few examples of how that would translate to real-world savings:

Make $50 from buying a Motorola Droid. Current and new Verizon customers can get this popular model for $49.99 with a two-year service plan. The $100 Bing bonus means you actually pocket 50 bucks on the deal. Make $100 on an AT&T phone. Wirefly stocks a couple … Read more

One week without Google

A Microsoft executive recently compared quitting Google to quitting smoking. As I approach the 10th anniversary of my last cigarette, I decided to put that to the test.

If it weren't for hyperbole, of course, marketing wouldn't be nearly as effective. But Google's presence across the Web does provoke that sort of response from competitors and even friends. From search and Google Maps to Gmail and YouTube, it can be difficult to steer clear of the Google experience during a daily trip around the Internet.

But it's not impossible, and it's not even remotely comparable … Read more