Like its previous release of an iPhone app, the software Goliath hopes to show off the unique features of its "decision engine," Bing, to core customers of Apple and Google, in an attempt to win market share in the competitive search market, while highlighting the benefits of the company's technology to a wider audience.
The app's homepage features Bing's popular image of the day, with the information-packed clickable hotspots that consumers have come to expect from the desktop version, complete with an archive of the past week's images. The app's feature set goes beyond a pretty picture and related trivia everyday, however.
"Are you a visual person? Try the image search feature that has endless scrolling results," Andy Chu of Bing for Mobile stated. "Then easily swipe through image previews and click straight through to the image host site."
According to Chu, Redmond's investment in voice search is evident in the new app.
"This works especially well when looking for 'Instant answers' which give you quick and relevant answers for things like movies, stock quotes, flight status and local listings," Chu added. "Just say 'movies,' for a quick result of movie listings, theaters and show times nearby, or say the flight information you are looking for, we will show you the departure, arrival, and other relevant information such as traffic, weather, news, and hotels details."
The Bing app also boasts a location-aware mapping feature.
"First, Bing will automatically find your current location," Chu explained. "You can then easily discover new places by category such as restaurants, banks, theaters and you can choose whether you want walking or driving directions."
"Swipe through each step of your directions, and check out how fast the map pans and zooms," Chu added. "For times when you only have one hand free and can't pinch, there is the handy zoom-out button."
The app also features local listing reviews, ratings, news and more and is available as a free download from the Android Marketplace.
For adult website and app marketers, the sophistication, user friendliness, free price point and widespread availability of this app within the camps of the parent company's core competitors, provides lessons on what customers have come to expect and demand, and how aggressive marketing can bring a product to new, often 'unfriendly' audiences.
Microsoft will reportedly offer the Bing app to other carriers and on other mobile platforms at an unspecified future date.
