Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009    Text size: 

Both praised and criticized for the ease and efficiency with which it presents hardcore adult entertainment, Bing has been making industry headlines since its launch. That situation isn't likely to change anytime soon, as the extent of the new app's porn-viewing prowess becomes better known.

"We like everybody and the key thing is what platforms and experiences users want and how to meet their needs," Bing for Mobile product manager Justin Jed said.

According to TechCrunch.com's MG Siegler, Bing has always been exceptionally good at finding porn, and its new iPhone app is no different.

"The porn results are nothing, if not impressive," Siegler said.

While Siegler notes that the app is rated for users 4+ years old, it is quite easy to gain access to hardcore porn with just a few clicks.

"This continues to highlight Apple's hypocrisy when it comes to the App Store," Siegler opined. "Apps that allow you to lift up Asian schoolgirl's outfits are just fine. Apps that make satirical references to public figures are banned. And now, apps that gives you hardcore porn at your fingertips are rated 4+. Sure, this content in on the web, and not in the app itself, but to a viewer, what's the difference?"

While both Google and its iPhone app allow users to search for porn, most observers note that the process is more difficult and the results less gratifying than with Bing and its app.

"It's not as easy to search for just images with the Google app (image search is a plus for the Bing app)," Siegler concluded. "The results are much less hardcore, and it's much less obvious as to how to turn off the safe search settings."

For consumers, it appears that Bing is comfortable in serving all of their evolving demands.

"We think mobile web and mobile services are a huge behavioral experience that customers are going after," Jed said. "If users want to interact with the Internet on their mobile, we are going to be there to hang out with them."