14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, some Windows Phone 8 users started to see an updated Bing Search interface on their devices, and Microsoft took its time on Monday to provide specific details on what the latest update for the mobile client had in store for them.
Users in the United States will be the first to take advantage of the new flavor of Bing Search, as it will emerge automatically on their devices, but the company plans on pushing it to other markets as well in the not too distant future.
The update brings along a refreshed UI for Bing Search on smartphones, with three different search result categories accessible through flicking left or right, namely Web, Images, and Videos (compared to four before).
The consolidated view is meant to provide ease of use, especially given that not all people take advantage of the existing views, Bing Product Manager Alisher Saydalikhodjayev explained, a recent blog post from Michael Stroh, Windows Phone, Microsoft, reads.
In the new Web category, users will see the most relevant results for their search, including images, videos, and local results, which also reduces the need to swipe left and right. Furthermore, local results should be better now, along with richer ones for popular websites.
The updated Bing Search for Windows Phone 8 also comes with support for infinite scrolling in the new Images and Videos categories, with a design makeover for photos, offering larger, auto-sized thumbnails.
On top of that, the updated service comes with performance enhancements, meant to offer faster results with less data consumption. Following the update, the phone will download results only for the default Web view, while Images and Videos categories are populated only if the user swipes over to them.
Instant Answers were upgraded as well, with 10 Instant Answers available on the PC to the phone, including traffic, flight status, exchange rates, word definitions and translations, and more.
“Once this new batch of Instant Answers arrives, Windows Phone will support about 30 in all. And Saydalikhodjayev says new Instant Answers introduced in the future should arrive on Windows Phone more quickly thanks to the new update,” said blog post continues.
Furthermore, the new Bing Search for Windows Phone 8 comes with Snapshot, a feature aimed at delivering information at a glance about places, people, and more. The capability was added to Bing on the web last year.
“Whether you’re searching for a celebrity, co-worker, animal, geographic location, or man-made structure, Bing helps you better understand the world around you by providing at-a-glance answers and related info based on what people are searching for,” the blog post concludes.
