Bing's new mobile site wants to be touched

Bing's touch-friendly mobile interface lets you browse movies with your finger.

(Credit: CNET)

Microsoft on Friday released a refreshed version of its mobile search site (m.bing.com) that's optimized for touch-screen devices. The new page includes finger-friendly buttons that are easier to both identify and to press, as well as a movie finder that lets users browse by what's near them by time and theater.

So far, the only devices that work with it are the iPhone/iPod Touch, T-Mobile G1, Samsung Omnia, Verizon Imagio, and the Zune HD. Microsoft says support for other phones and portables is coming. In the meantime, phones that can't access the touch-friendly interface get defaulted to a simpler version.

Also worth noting is that the touch interface is only available to users in the U.S. for the time being.

Along with touch, Microsoft also added two new search query types that pull from near real-time data sources. This includes a way for users to check on NFL football scores and flight status. Users looking to get an updated score or player stats just need type in the team or player name. As for flights, you'll need the airline and flight number and it will cull the most recent information about arrivals, departures, or delays.

Now how about fitting some of that neato visual search action on the mobile site too?

[baconstang]

Tried Bing again..... still sucks.

[beat_elite]

You're doing it wrong

[B-Ri]

I would tend to disagree with you. The searches I've been doing have been pretty good. Don't get me wrong I still use Google a lot but this mobile version of Bing seemed pretty good. It was easy to point it to my current location and it brought up relevant info for my area. I guess I don't understand what "sucks" about it. If you could elaborate maybe we could have a discussion rather than just the standard back and forth whenever one of the big companies is involved. I think that everyone's mileage may vary with these products but this type of comment serves no good purpose. But thanks for your opinion anyway.

[Random_Walk]

"It was easy to point it to my current location and it brought up relevant info for my area. "

I can already do that now with http://www.where.com - in a much better format (at least for the Crackberry), with more info than Bing can cough up (GPS-centered gas prices, traffic reports, local events, movies, news, weather, localized yellow pages, yelp, etc...)

[Seaspray0]

baconstang trolls again.... still sucks.

[Seaspray0]

@random walk. Use what works best for you. As for me, I'll check out that site you gave. I usually find something worthwhile in each one.

[Random_Walk]

It works best IMHO because:

1) it fits pretty much every type of phone (not just the Blackberry)
2) All of it is based on your GPS location automatically.

[baconstang]

I type my name into Bing and into Google. I get 10X the useful hits on Google.
Tried it with a few other queries and the results are similar. Bing is a vastly inferior search engine compared to Google.

[bananaphonerules]

@baconstang

Maybe you should stop searching for yourself and get back to work?
Wow. I don't know you were the defining search?

[baconstang]

Well now you know.

[Jamie_Foster]

I've tried Bing. It's fine for mainstream queries. But if you are looking for a needle in a haystack then Google is still tops.But I am concerned at Google's search monopoly and also all the information they are amassing about everyone that uses their service. I think they are very arrogant when it comes to customer privacy.

[Super2online]

I agree, there is still is a small percentage of queries that you can obtain better results with less clicks on Google. However, the gap is swiftly diminishing. In many cases Bing's user interface allows you to narrow and refine the results quicker, and the search results for flights, buying things (which includes a built in rebate for your effort), viewing images and videos can trump Google without even trying. I could see the benefit immediately, and now I only use Google if I can't find what I'm looking for, which is a very rare day indeed.

[rbrown653]

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've thought this since the begining! All my casual searches I do on bing cause its a nicer interface and all, but when i cant find what I need on bing, then I google

[eltoro2827]

Bing rules and u suck!

[bonesbautista]

Bing needs aerials on their mobile map site that are a little newer than 4-8 years old, it's not so good seeing how things looked in 2003...

[cool1357]

BING ROCKS....
I am impressed with lots of innovations and updates coming from BING team ...
watchout goog... do not underestimate MSFT...

[Random_Walk]

where.com beat 'em to it already.

Some innovation, huh?

[Seaspray0]

"lots of innovations..." Well, some of it is; some is not. The search engine itself has some innovation on how it presents data but they also copy things from others, such as 3-D maps (not an original idea).

[bananaphonerules]

@Random_Walk

Where.com only knows U.S. locations. Epic fail for non-Americans.
This is a big world out there you know.

Looks neat UI. Although WinMo is falling: there is still a massive amount of devices out there (especially in business). Where the app for WinMo?

[Random_Walk]

WinMo is dying, or did you not get the memo? 6.5 was not only panned by the critics, it was beaten down, had its lunch money stolen, and its girlfriend left it for the iPhone. ;)

US vs. world matters not. Fact is, Bing was beaten to the punch a long time ago, so where's the "innovation"?

[Brokn4God]

I just tried to access the new m.bing.com site from my Omnia, but it keeps taking me to the old site. Anyone know what I'm not doing????

[cvaldes1831]

That's the correct URL; as a web surfer you don't really have to "do" anything. In this case you need the right device and need to be located in the United States.

Please contact Bing techincal support. They will be able to diagnose your problem better than anyone here.

Hi - Which browser are you using? If you're using Opera, it should work.

[FirewaveZ]

Its pretty cool, The interface puts google's to shame. Sadly, Apple wont let us use bing:/

[gmreeves1]

Bing is also available on the Blackberry Storm. It looks nice but does not use the accelerometer so can only be used in portrait mode. That defaults to the Suretype keyboard which make the search virtually useless.

[ironmandel]

For the iPhone, check out:
bingGo - Bing? Mobile Search Client

There is a review for this app at:

http://www.ithinkdiff.com/search-bing-on-your-iphoneipod-touch-using-binggo/

[The Gizzle]

Bing, more me to Micro Slop.

[ITnavigator]

In regards to why Bing...uh...inhales greatly...it wastes my time and never finds anything useful. Wanting to give it a more then fair shake, I tried used it to search Microsoft's KB. Since it is owned by Microsoft, perhaps they might have an edge there. For the test, I would find the KB article using Google (or just about any other search engine on the planet). I'm actually on a valid Microsoft KB page. I cut text out of the page and place it in the Bing box conveniently located on the page. Bing can't find the page I just left -- even when I just cut and pasted the text from the actual page. So I tried to increase the odds a bit. I fed it the KB number (cut and pasted from the KB page). Bing couldn't find a KB article when it gave it the KB number.

It may be valuable for something, somewhere. Not for anything I use on my job.