Google, Microsoft Experiment With Visual Search

LOS ANGELES — Two of the world's leading tech companies are looking to the eye for their latest innovations in search.

Industry king Google rolled out a new way to search news articles yesterday called Google Fast Flip. It works like this:

On the landing page, users encounter a grid of scrollable snapshots of web pages. They can then visually scan which stories look interesting. Users also have the option of looking at a larger thumbnail of a prospective page before clicking through. Fast Flip offers content from 40 familiar news sources.

But that's the drawback, too. Fast Flip only searches the inventories of those 40 news sources. Google hasn't revealed whether it plans to expand the service to cover the entire web.

For now, though, it looks like Google has taken out another minor competitor, the visual search-engine SearchMe.com. Now defunct, SearchMe.com provided similar functionality, except with a flashier style that emulated Apple's scrollable album covers in iTunes.

Simple searches for "porn" and "sex" returned plenty of results from Fast Flip, but because of its limited scope, it doesn't yet return adult results.

One tantalizing possibility built into Fast Flip is its intelligence.

"The more you use Google Fast Flip, the smarter it will get to things you like," tech analyst MG Siegler said.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has added a new function to its upstart search engine Bing that echoes Fast Flip's limited scope but potential as an adult search engine.

It's called visual search, and it presents users with a matrix of categories to choose from. Users can then scroll through an animated, interactive gallery of images.

But as with Fast Flip, the library of images is limited by Bing itself, which only offers about 40 categories to search. Adult is not among them.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Ukrainian President Responds to Porn Legalization Petition

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded Tuesday to an OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine, stating that he would wait for the legislative process to play out “in accordance with established procedure.”

Only Tax Deductions Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Adult industry accounting firm Only Tax Deductions has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Adult Empire Launches 'Conversations' Podcast Series

Adult Empire has launched a new official podcast series hosted by Nicole Chappelle and Charlie.

Sex Work CEO Launches 'Teams Plan' for AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Teams Plan for its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Website Launches With Call for Speakers

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the website for its annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam, is now live.

NC Governor Vetoes Bill Targeting Adult Industry, Override Possible

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein today vetoed a bill imposing new regulations that adult industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

25,000 Sign Petition to Legalize Pornography in Ukraine

An OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine has amassed the 25,000 signatures required for official consideration by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

WannaCollab Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

WannaCollab has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

FSC Unpacks SCOTUS Age Verification Ruling in Webinar

The Free Speech Coalition conducted a public webinar Tuesday to help adult industry stakeholders understand the Supreme Court’s recent decision in FSC v. Paxton, and its potential implications.

UK Lawmaker Calls for Appointment of 'Porn Minister'

Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the Conservative member of Parliament who recently convened a new anti-pornography task force, is calling for the appointment of a “minister for porn,” according to British news outlet The Guardian.

Show More