Microsoft launches Bing search engine

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 5th June 2009
Comments (28) Stumble
Microsoft launches Bing search engine

Microsoft's Bing is set to utterly replace the existing Live Search search engine.

Microsoft has launched a new search engine service, dubbed Bing, which it hopes could soon rival other internet search giants such as Google and Yahoo!

Formally announced last week, Bing was first known as Codename Kuma and looks to be Microsoft's next big step in the search engine wars, set to utterly replace the existing Live Search system.

Although the Bing site is still currently in beta in the UK and doesn't yet have all of the search features that it does in the US. Microsoft hopes to have the full and final version of the site up and running within the next twelve months, according to our colleagues at ITPro. ITPro has also got a full review of Bing, so check it out for more details on the nuances of the system.

Bing has been a major project for Microsoft it seems, with Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer hinting that it could change the way that people search the internet - even going as far as to call Bing a "decision engine" rather than a search engine.

“Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find,” Ballmer said in an official statement.

“When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the web.”

Our first impressions of Bing are quite positive, especially when it comes to using it as a video or image search engine, but why don't you let us know your thoughts on the system in the forums.
Quote Star*Dagger 5th June 2009, 12:52
Newsflash, Google has cornered the market
Quote lp1988 5th June 2009, 12:57
Quote:
Originally Posted by Star*Dagger
Newsflash, Google has cornered the market

and for a good reason, its just the most simple way. And "Bing" what kind of name is that, but hey good luck MS, you are going to need it.
Quote CardJoe 5th June 2009, 12:58
M'eh. What type of name is Google?
Quote Skiddywinks 5th June 2009, 13:07
Exactly what I was going to say, Joe.
Quote Woodspoon 5th June 2009, 13:16
Quote:
Originally Posted by CardJoe
M'eh. What type of name is Google?

It's the kind of name for a good search engine, thats what kind of name it is, lol
Quote theevilelephant 5th June 2009, 13:18
I gave it a go and it seems perfectly fine. Similar enough to googles layout that people wont be scared off by it. And as a name "Bing" sounds just as good as "Google" to me.
Quote UrbanMarine 5th June 2009, 13:20
Bing sounds Chinese owned.
Quote markwalker84 5th June 2009, 13:20
"Bing"

As in the sound Windows makes when it pops up an error?!
Quote Skiddywinks 5th June 2009, 13:24
Quote:
Originally Posted by markwalker84
"Bing"

As in the sound Windows makes when it pops up an error?!

Hahaha, excellent!

After reading the review on ITPro, I am fairly impressed. It is already a very capable and feature full search engine, but it also holds a lot of potential for improvement, being only a beta and not having all the features that even the Yanks get.
Quote RTT 5th June 2009, 13:30
Right so we've got Windows Live Mail (formerly Windows Live Hotmail, MSN Hotmail and just Hotmail), Bing (formerly Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search) and of course MSN (which does what now, exactly?)

I see they are focusing on simplicity.

I think i'll stick to Google's Search, Mail, News and Maps, thanks!
Quote Yemerich 5th June 2009, 13:33
I was first curious at it. Then i made a search in there looking for Bing from Carmella Bing errr... Not fo minors BTW
And the search returned the first page of its own engine (of course) and then lots of "BOING"...
A certain "Sabrina Boing Boing" that have 1,2 liters of silicon in each breast ruled the search from start to finish of the frist page.

And "NO" Carmella... I know its a beta, but my first impression wasn't a good one
Quote neonplanet40 5th June 2009, 13:38
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/chandler.jpg
:D
Quote Jamie 5th June 2009, 14:03
I can't work out why it goes to multimap if I click on maps when I know 'Live' or 'Bing' has it's own maps engine.
Quote b5k 5th June 2009, 14:20
The best part is the video search with safe search disabled. Easier than trawling 10 different sites to find what turns you on. ;)
Quote Skiddywinks 5th June 2009, 15:10
Quote:
Originally Posted by b5k
The best part is the video search with safe search disabled. Easier than trawling 10 different sites to find what turns you on. ;)

I never thought of that... *cough*

>_>

<_<
Quote jezmck 5th June 2009, 16:08
Quote:
Originally Posted by CardJoe
M'eh. What type of name is Google?

There are googols of results!
Quote yodasarmpit 5th June 2009, 16:36
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie
I can't work out why it goes to multimap if I click on maps when I know 'Live' or 'Bing' has it's own maps engine.
I thought that was a bit odd, but multimap is now owned by Microsoft.
Quote thehippoz 5th June 2009, 16:53
Quote:
Originally Posted by RTT
Right so we've got Windows Live Mail (formerly Windows Live Hotmail, MSN Hotmail and just Hotmail), Bing (formerly Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search) and of course MSN (which does what now, exactly?)

I see they are focusing on simplicity.

I think i'll stick to Google's Search, Mail, News and Maps, thanks!

exactly.. it's windows live.. but heck bing sounds better than yahoo

I'll stick with google- less to load it looks like I'm loading a farmscape on bing here in the states
Quote Xir 5th June 2009, 17:21
Where the heck did you find the possibility to disable safesearch on Bing?
I find google's video search...very badly sorted
Quote <A88> 5th June 2009, 17:31
As someone who used to use Live Search as my default engine (before switching back to Google) I've jumped over to Bing for a bit and, to be honest, don't find it all that different. Sure, I think the algorithm itself has been cleaned up a bit and gives comparably useful results to Google but most of the features on it were already on Live Search- it's just everyone's only just noticed! It might be the case that Microsoft are holding back some of the features from the UK site for now and I'm not experiencing the whole service but it's not as life-changing as its been made out to be- just pretty good.

I won't be switching back to Google for now however and will give Bing a proper trying out at least.
Quote i7lova 5th June 2009, 19:54
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xir
Where the heck did you find the possibility to disable safesearch on Bing?
I find google's video search...very badly sorted

You have to actually search for something that may contain adult content and then it asks you if you want to turn safe search off and there is a little spill about being 18 blah blah. So basically they just made it way easier for someone who is not 18 to see some free previews lol.
Quote Madness_3d 6th June 2009, 01:09
the maps is actually really awesome
Quote Skiddywinks 6th June 2009, 17:57
Quote:
Originally Posted by i7lova
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xir
Where the heck did you find the possibility to disable safesearch on Bing?
I find google's video search...very badly sorted

You have to actually search for something that may contain adult content and then it asks you if you want to turn safe search off and there is a little spill about being 18 blah blah. So basically they just made it way easier for someone who is not 18 to see some free previews lol.

Let's be honest, a 10 year old can figure it out, regardless of which engine you use.
Quote Timmy_the_tortoise 6th June 2009, 20:53
Found it the other day when I typed a search into the IE address bar at Uni. I was expecting MSN Search... but Bing came up... That's the only time I've seen it... and the only time I'll probably ever see it.
Quote Mentai 7th June 2009, 12:26
The image and video searches are good, although I would like to define my own version of "large" to weed out pictures I think are too small. I might use those features but for my default searches there would have to be something really wrong with Google and revolutionary with Bing to get me to change. After all, I've been using Google for nearly a decade, it's my one constant of the internet.
Quote Clocked 7th June 2009, 12:58
Quote:
Originally Posted by neonplanet40
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/chandler.jpg
:D
^This..

Sadly all I can think of when I hear the name is that annoying woman saying 'Chandler Bingggggg'....

Other than that, as a search engine it'll be added to the list of ones to use when google (rarely) fails to pull up a decent result.
Quote lewchenko 7th June 2009, 22:38
I quite like their image search.. where you move your mouse over images and they enlarge slightly with the actual screen size shown of the image.

Seems functional... but I dont like the name bing !

sounds too much like bling... which means cheap jewelery where I live !
Quote HourBeforeDawn 8th June 2009, 20:21
I do like how it will play any video in its search results unlike google video search so thats a plus, as for everything else I will stick with google.
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