Yesterday Microsoft finally revealed their latest search engine, Bing. Formerly code-named Kumo, the product has been designed to replace Live Search in the hope of competing for greater search market share.
Bing is currently unavailable to the public, however, we are told that as of June 1st some Microsoft Live users will receive Bing search results. By June the 4th Bing will apparently be Microsoft’s default search tool.
According to Microsoft, Bing provides users with a greater search experience, helping them make better decisions. It has even been dubbed a “decision engine” by some due to the fact many of the new features involve assisting searchers chose the best option be it in making a purchase, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.
So does Bing have a chance of competing with Search Engine powerhouse Google?
Well, that is the real question. One major factor is how much Microsoft are willing to invest in promoting the new search engine. Obviously, the company is certainly not short of money, but look at their rivals – Yahoo! and also more recently Ask who have invested millions with only little improvement in search market share.
Google’s dominance doesn’t look set to be challenged. Least of all by a brand new search engine, it is also key to remember that Microsoft only launched Live Search in 2006 – less than 3 years ago, with minimal success. Marketers have also critisized the branding of the new search engine deeming it a ‘fail’.
So what does Bing have to offer?
On the surface it may not seem to offer much different to Google, but Bing has some great features that are definatley worth investigating.
Check out the video above, areas of particular interest are: bing local, bing shopping, bing health & bing travel.
Sources: Microsoft , TechRadar & Cnet
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