A few hours ago the official Bing app for iPhone received a major update, which brings it to version 2.0 and introduces a lot of new (and nice) features I’m sure will make several iOS users reconsider Microsoft’s search engine app.
Bing 2.0 comes with new sharing possibilities and deeper integration with Facebook, Foursquare and Windows Live Messenger. You can check in without leaving Bing and even check on Facebook Likes in search results. While I’m not sure about the usefulness of “liking” a search results, it’s nice to see Microsoft committed to making the search engine more “social”. Perhaps it’s not the right path to follow, but at least something’s moving. Overall, the app’s layout has been slightly tweaked and improved to make room for a cleaner design and more intuitive navigation. Yes, it feels even more Metro than before – not sure if this is the right approach on iOS but again, Microsoft’s trying to keep its brand identity consistent across platforms.
The new Bing app also makes it easy and quick to find restaurants and theaters. The new Plans feature (again, with Facebook integration) lets you plan a night out with just a few taps.
The biggest addition to the iPhone client is what Microsoft calls Bing Streetside. Similar to Google’s StreetView but really geared towards simplicity and multi-touch gestures, Streetside enables you to know more about a specific location before visiting it. You can pinch and zoom and get a better visual of the neighborhood, tap to focus on the details and see overlays of business listings and store fronts.
Bing 2.0 is available for free here. Check out the full changelog and video (courtesy of Engadget) below.
Quickly find the perfect restaurant based on your price range, cuisine, atmosphere, or location.
Easily find great movies by name, location, or theater.
Use the Plans feature to plan a night out, a dinner and a movie, or any event you want. See what plans your Facebook friends like and read their comments.
More transit directions to help you plan your commute. Real-time transit updates for Boston, San Francisco and Seattle (more cities to come), show you if a bus is on time, early, or delayed, with predictions for arrival times. Standard transit routes for 11 cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and Vancouver BC, with more to come.
Familiarize yourself with a location before you go, using Bing Streetside. Streetside, a new mapping feature, gives you a multi-street level panorama of a location so you can take a virtual walk through the streets with a view of a location and its landmarks. Slide the street level imagery sideways, and the view of the sidewalk is seamlessly constructed, including an overlay of business listings, street names and store fronts.
Use reminders to get a notification when you’re nearby a business or location where you have an errand. Add a reminder and you’ll stop forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning.
Check in to Facebook, Foursquare, and Windows Live Messenger, without leaving Bing.
Improved homepage layout and design for easier navigation and discoverability.
