Good for Microsoft --- it delivers new Bing for iOS, Android, but not yet Windows Phone 7
- TAGS:Bing, Microsoft, mobile
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Devices, Linux & Unix, Macintosh, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Operating Systems, Windows
Microsoft has delivered an updated Bing for Mobile app for iOS and select Android devices, but not yet for Windows Phone 7. This is good news for the company, because it may mean it recognizes that the best way to win users over is to deliver the best apps for the largest number of people, regardless of whether it ruffles feathers internally.
The announcement was made on the Bing Blog from the "Bing Team." The updated app, it says, delivers a faster, more consistent search by using HTML 5. The user interface will be much the same whether you use the app itself or the mobile version of the Bing search site.
It takes into account the device on which it is being used, and so includes camera support, voice search, and more.
The really big news, though, is that the new search is being released for Windows Phone 7's two main competitors, and not yet for Windows Phone 7. (That's coming in the future.) This may mean that Microsoft finally recognizes that turf wars and political in-fighting do the company no good. In years past, it would have been very unlikely that Microsoft would have released an app for competitors rather than for one of its own products. But releasing the app for Android and iOS first makes sense, because that's where users are, and so that will help Bing gain market share.
It's tough to know whether this is a unique situation, or whether we can expect to see more decisions like this in the future. For Microsoft's sake, and the sake of users, I hope this is just one in a long line of similar moves.
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