14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re a Microsoft user who relies on Bing for finding information online, here’s something that could really come in handy. The software company today announced a new feature that allows its users to search the web using just their phone’s camera.
The visual search option is available in the Bing app for iOS and Android, Microsoft Launcher on Android, Microsoft Edge for Android and iOS (the latter will get it at a later time) and Bing.com (also coming shortly).
Basically, what this new option allows you to do is to quickly search the web for information on a specific place or landmark.
The way it works is quite simple. Users need to launch one of the said apps, tap the camera icon and take a photo of a specific point of interest. Uploading a photo from the gallery is also possible.
More improvements on their way
Apps then use the new visual search option running on the Bing engine to search for more information and display it right within the app.
“For example, imagine you see a landmark or flower and want to learn more. Simply take a photo using one of the apps, or upload a picture from your camera roll. Bing will identify the object in question and give you more information by providing additional links to explore,” Microsoft explains.
The feature isn’t limited to just landmarks and flowers. Microsoft promises that the full power of Bing would be delivered with this visual search option, so you can even search for fashion and home furnishing. The application would automatically look for similar products and then not only display more information, but also show places where to purchase them should you be interested.
Microsoft says that this is just the beginning of the visual search implementation, and further improvements would land for all platforms in the coming months.
