The refresh of Bing may be just a gimmick to help the search engine fit seamlessly with Windows 8 Metro, but I have to admit it's a strong argument for switching to Bing permanently. For one thing, making a user linger on a web page is a lost art - Bing manages that without annoying, boring, or befuddling its users. Plus, it actually is a good search engine. Here's a quick rundown of some of the more obvious features of Bing:
- I've always liked the Bing wallpapers and the permanent addition of control buttons just above the collapsible panel allows me to switch wallpapers any time. The information icon also provides a concise and occasionally educational description of the image. I'm a sucker for easy to remember trivia and a regular dose of tidbits of information displayed via the hotspots on the wallpaper is a fun way to start the day.
- The collapsible panel with the Search History is extremely welcome especially for users like myself who often search for the same items. Clicking on More on the search panel above the search box pulls up a page with a plethora of options which I have yet to try, but the reviews from unlikely sources is surprisingly positive. Bing's integration with Twitter and Facebook is fairly well-covered by the press, but as a user who doesn't use either services, I still think Bing is still worth pulling up.
- I've never participated in Bing Rewards but considering how Bing is my default search engine in China even when running Linux (Google has problems), I might very well join the program.
- I have to be honest, even if Google News access wasn't crippled in Shanghai, I would probably start accessing Bing's News hub. The interface is clean and doesn't overwhelm readers with limitless search results. I also like that the weather is displayed by default even if it's set to Fahrenheit.
Initially, it was because of the limitations of Google in China that I began using Bing on a regular basis. However, I'm beginning to actually enjoy using the scrappy search engine. Yes, it seems like an odd choice when viewed within Linux distributions, but if Microsoft keeps improving Bing effectively, then Google Search better start taking notice.
0 comments:
Post a Comment