Today Microsoft updated the mobile version of Bing, its search engine. Bing, according to web analytics provider Clicky, currently has negligible mobile search market share.
Ironically, the updates that are rolling out today do not work on the, you guessed it, Windows Phone 7 platform. Why is that? Because you need a browser that can handle HTML5, and until Mango and IE9 mobile land, every WP7 handset in the world is rocking IE7 mobile, which is a kludge of a browser.
However, the new Bing updates will work on Android, iPhone, and a variety of RIM devices, so the majority of the market will be able to enjoy them. That is of course, if they use Bing on the go. Given the stats that Clicky has provided, it seems that not many people do.
The updates to Bing’s mobile site include the following:
Share on Facebook – Easily share images, local business details, and, applications (only on iOS devices) with your Facebook friends, making it easy for them to learn, comment and “Like” what you find interesting and you to get their opinion while on the go.
News – Whether you’re looking for the latest entertainment news or sports scores, get the day’s news straight from your Bing for Mobile browse home page with the touch of a button. For headline news, we added a carousel that lets you to quickly flip through the headlines so you’ll never miss a beat or scroll down to see the top three headlines and images for numerous categories. The categories are the same you have come to expect from Bing News on your PC, including U.S, World, Local (state), Entertainment, Science/Technology, Business Politics, Sports, and Health. This feature is currently in the US only.
Maps/List Split View – Tired of switching between the map and list view for directions? Or want to discover what business listings are relative to each other while you find that perfect place to go tonight? Now you can get both the map and the list — business listings and directions– in a single view, making it easier to see locations of what you’re searching for. While you interact with the list, the map will always show the business or direction point you are interested in on the map.
Search History /Trending Topics – Do you always search for a specific restaurant or location? With search history, you can easily reference past searches with the touch of a button. Additionally, Trending Topics highlights the most popular searches based on what’s currently hot on Bing. This feature is available in the US only.
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The most important update here is that Microsoft is pulling Facebook all the closer. We’ve often joked that the two companies are dancing so close that they would get busted at a school formal.
If you have a smartphone that can handle it, you can check the new version of Bing here.
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