14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has expanded the partnership with Wolfram Research in order to make Bing capable of answering real questions from users through Wolfram|Alpha.
The evolution of the marriage between Bing and Wolfram|Alpha means that users will be able to receive accurate information on inquiries related to a much larger range of topics than before.
“Now, with the latest release of new Bing answers through our collaboration with Wolfram|Alpha, you can get access to more types of answers quickly and confidently,” explained Kristin Meldahl and Natalia Burina from the Bing Team.
Microsoft and Wolfram Research debuted the first stage of their collaboration in November 2009. At that time, Bing users were granted access to the advanced algorithms and curated data from Wolfram|Alpha.
And even at that point in time, the Redmond company was promising that the integration of the Wolfram computational knowledge engine into the Bing decision engine will be expanded in time.
This evolution now permits customers to ask Bing questions and receive accurate answers. According to Microsoft, inquiries can now be related to various markets around the world.
Users can ask what is the capital of specific countries, or get information related to their GDP. At the same time, Bing is also perfectly capable of answering generic science questions, such as what is the boiling point of water?
“You can also use Bing to instantly compare geographical information, like comparing the current population in India to that of China or even how their literacy rates compare,” Meldahl said.
“Bing and Wolfram | Alpha make finding the answers to these common questions that much easier by proving this information to you right in the search results,” Meldahl added.
And Bing can also be used to return dates for holiday. “Now, you can type into the Bing search box a query like “When is Thanksgiving next year” or even just the word “Christmas” to get the actual day of the week that it will take place,” Meldahl noted.
However, don’t think even for a minute that Microsoft and Wolfram Research are done. This is simply not the case. In fact, Bing will continue to integrate more and more content from Wolfram|Alpha in the future.
“The next time you are confronted with the task of knowing or finding the answer to help with homework or even if you are just looking for the next time you need to cook the holiday dinner give Bing a try. The team is continuously adding new data and answers from Wolfram|Alpha to help get you the information you are looking for faster,” Meldahl added.
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