New Bing for Mobile app for iPhone and Android already available

Nov 3, 2011 09:40 GMT  ·  By

HTML5 is playing a key role in closing the gap between Bing apps for mobile platforms and the actual search / decision engine from Microsoft.

The latest update to the Bing for Mobile app brings the user experience on par with what m.bing.com has to offer, revealed Santanu Basu, product manager, Bing for Mobile.

This means that customers can enjoy a unified search experience regardless of whether their using a Bing app or the mobile flavor of the decision engine.

“Rather than tightly binding functions into a mobile client, we want to embrace the drive towards exposing our functions via an HTML5 experience. In order for search to advance, engines need to be able to call functions that are currently ‘hiding’ in apps so we can better help people get done what they are trying to get done,” Basu explained.

“Using HTML5, our goal is to build a mobile experience that leverages the unique capabilities of the different platforms including camera support and voice search, while making the functions the apps can provide consistent across the platforms and – in the future – callable by engines to help people get from searching to doing.”

Make sure to watch the video embedded below to get additional details about the latest stage in the evolution of Bing for Mobile.

The new Bing for Mobile app for iPhone and Android is already available for download, to users with devices running the two platforms.

According to Basu, for the time being the updated Bing for Mobile app can be accessed only by customers in the United States. While users can get the new application on all iPhone devices, it’s only available for select Android handsets.

The software giant stresses that there’s more to the update and malting together the mobile experience and the app experience for Bing.

Basu reveals that the update also delivers additional features, including:

“Maps/List Split View: Provides a dynamic way to synchronize a list such as business listings and directions and a map in a single view making it easy to see the location of what you’re searching for. Also works for driving directions and transit.

Deals: One-stop deal shopping and convenient mobile phone access for local deals from more than 100 deal providers across the US.

Video Domain: launched last month on m.bing, the new video domain is now available on iPhone.

Transit/Real-Time: the Android app now features transit routing/real-time transit and news– all features that were previously only available on m.bing.com.”

Microsoft is working to also ensure that RIM and Windows Phone users also get to enjoy the evolution of the Bing for Mobile app, but they still need to exercise their patience a bit longer.

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