14 DAY TRIAL // The updated new Bing is now available for more people in the United States, after being launched a few weeks ago for some of them.
Today, the new version of Microsoft’s search service brings socially-connected features to all users who would like to take advantage of them.
Among these, we can count a three-column view, which also sports integration with Facebook and Twitter, so as to make users' searches more relevant socially. The new Bing is available in the US today via www.bing.com.
The updated Bing design is meant to enable users to easily exchange ideas with their friends and family, share opinions or take actions, all without compromise to their search experience.
When searching for something, be it a restaurant, a specific place or a movie to see, users will be able to ask for opinions from their friends on said social networking sites.
“These social results complement the standard search results without compromising them, offering you the chance to start a conversation and get advice from your friends, experts and enthusiasts right within the search experience,” Microsoft notes.
Users will see which friends have liked a specific place or might have knowledge of the content related to one’s search query, and they will also be able to receive further recommendations from them.
The center column, called snapshot, has been designed to help users get things done in a single place. It provides information, maps and reviews, as well as simple ways to take action.
“The snapshot feature offers restaurant reservations, hotel reviews, movie trailers and show times, maps, and more right within the search experience; giving you everything you need to take action in one place and eliminating the need to visit multiple sites to complete tasks,” Microsoft notes.
The Redmond-based giant also cites an internal survey showing that nearly 75 percent of people spend more time than they would want to while searching for relevant information online. The new Bing design was meant to reduce that time, through delivering results from the Web, as well as from friends who know something about the query, and who might help users find what they are looking for, faster and easier than before.