We assume you've heard the whole China-Google-IE6 debacle that's going on, along with the the Apple-Google falling out, so it really comes of no surprise that Microsoft is using this opportunity to edge Bing over Google search.

In fact the rumor du jour is that Apple is seriously considering replacing Google search as their default search engine on the iPhone with Bing.  And why not?  Bing has turned out to be a big hit for Microsoft, which is no small feat considering the competition.

We expect as Google gets bigger and more powerful this will happen more often. How long do you think Firefox will continue their relationship with Google and Chrome? We've also heard recent inside report that some OEMs are not happy with Google and the Nexus One for obvious reasons.

Sure if Microsoft pulls this off, it's partially because they're a pawn, but a win is a win in business. Plus the better Bing does, the more money Microsoft can sink into fixing our Bing for Mobile 5.0 application, ahem.

[Businessweek via The iPhone Blog]

Microsoft has announce a change in Bing's privacy policy. Bing, Microsoft's search engine, currently retains the IP addresses from searchers for 18 months before they're deleted. The change will lessen that time to 6 months.

Bing immediately takes measures to "de-identify" the data by removing account information that could identify the person conducting the search (email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, etc.). Reese Solberg, Bing's Privacy Manager, states in the Bing Community Post that, "This is a strong step forward in our journey to protect the privacy of our customers while providing a great set of search tools.".

The new policy will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months. You can find the full announcement over at Microsoft's "On the Issues" Web site.

Via Bing Community

Well, look at that. Somebody over at Microsoft just won $20, 'cause they managed to get the Bing application into Apple's App Store, making it available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

I gave it a quick run-through and found it more or less acts the same as Bing on Windows Mobile. Can't speak to whether it suffers from the same complaints we've seen recently.

More screen shots after the break, and more at The iPhone Blog.

Read the rest of this entry »

Don't know if you've heard the latest comments made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, but in a recent interview he stated "I think judgment matters,...If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

This drew a huge negative reaction from privacy proponents and the Google backlash received some more momentum. Combined with controversial Rupert Murdoch's threat to de-list themselves from Google (due to Google profiting off of Fox New's reporting) and Microsoft literally stepping in and offering them a better deal and we're getting odd bed fellows.

Here's one more.

Asa Dotzler, Mozilla's director of community development, on his personal blog has now linked to Bing and appears to be urging Firefox's development away from Google as their default search engine. We'll leave the details of the Google and Firefox alliance to the great article at ArsTechnica, but this raises the question:

Has the age of Bing begun?  Does Microsoft actually stand a chance to beat Google on their own turf?

What's your personal preference on your Windows phone: Google or Bing for search?  Take theh poll and sound off in comments on your reasons why and what you think about Google's ever-expanding dominance in your personal information management.

Google has once again taken the lead in innovation by rolling out their QR code based 'Favorite Places on Google'.

A QR code, seen above, is a 2D tag system that is gaining popularity as the standard for matrix codes.  Google is sending out decal codes to 100,000 local businesses that are the most searched on Google.  In turn, they can place these decals in their store front.  When a tech-savvy (and probably Android wielding) customer walks by, they can scan the code and pull down coupons, information, reviews, etc.

Pretty brilliant.

The question is where is Microsoft on this front? A few years ago they had a QR development program called 'Windows Live Barcode', later renamed 'Confucius'. It then vanished and presumably reappeared as 'MS Tag' which is now a proprietary matrix code system, albeit a very nice one. However, QR code support is gone.

There are really nice third-party alternatives right now for Windows phone, specifically 'BeeTag' (download here) which works flawlessly on our Touch Pro 2 (give it a shot, scan the above QR code). But in order for Microsoft to at least match what Google is now doing, they'll have to put QR code support back into MS Tag, something we hope they will do. Furthermore, can MS Tag survive up against QR now that Google is actually deploying it?

On another front, Google is also now offering 'Google Goggles': a visual identification and search program for Android (see demo here).  PC World has confirmed with Google that "other platforms" are planned but no time-frame is given. In the meantime, Microsoft and Bing, we await your response.

OK, everybody. The new Bing app for Windows Mobile is out, and we're giving it the what-for. Join us after the break for a quick video walkthrough of the navigation and search app.

Note: One thing we don't show here is that while you can find yourself using GPS on the map, it doesn't scroll the screen to follow you while you're in motion. That's a bad thing. (thanks, anon!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Whew, busy day for software.

Crashing in on Google Map's update today is none other than Microsoft who has effectively re-launched their Bing service.

First up is the browser client, which now offers a "Streetside and enhanced aerial view" in addition to normal maps and uses Silverlight (something we heard about yesterday) to power it all.  There's also an "application gallery" which

...will give users the opportunity to develop “geospatially rich data visualization applications.” Users can seek out applications such as Travel Webcams and Twitter Maps, which uses Twitter’s newly released geolocation tool to map their geographic location as they tweet — even from the Streetside mode.

In conjunction, Microsoft has also revamped Bing Mobile v5.0, which was something it needed as the old user interface was...well old and not very touch friendly.

Overall, the visual changes go a long way to making this standout program even better and the new"wait screen" is a nice twist. However, they also took out some things like gas prices and it is a little slow to load and keep in the background.  Still, we'll assume it will only be improved  upon.

Sound off in comments on your likes/dislikes or new things you found!

• Web:  www.bing.com
• Mobile: (via Mobile IE, not Opera): m.bing.com\download

[Microsoft Press Release]

We're still waiting on an update to the native Bing app for Windows Mobile. But in the meantime, the mobile portal has been updated. Here's what's new, according to the Bing blog:

• NFL feature – type a team or player and see upcoming games, stats, and scores. While the game is on, you can get real-time updates on the plays. (U.S. only)
• Flight status – enter the airline and flight number and get the latest departure and landing times.
• Bing for touch devices – Great news for you touch phone owners in the U.S.: we have a new version of Bing just for high-resolution touch devices. We optimized for touch navigation to make the most of your phone, and added a great new Movies feature. Search for Movies in your city, and you’ll see the movies playing nearby, showtimes, overviews, and even trailers and video clips.

Find it all at m.bing.com.

How nice for him. [via]

We're still not entirely sold on the whole voice command thing when it comes to mobile phones (though admittedly it's very helpful while driving). But you've gotta admit Microsoft's Tellme service (whose purchase allowed Windows Mobile to put the old Voice Command out to pasture) looks pretty compelling. Sure, it's a few extra steps to do basic functions, so it's probably not something we'd use while walking down the street. But it absolutely would be handy in a car, and you have to admit the speech-to-text is pretty cool.

Bing blog