More Bing with 4.5 Cherries

June 3, 2009

I was trepedatious when I saw the headline “Microsoft Bing” with a link to PCMag.com. I used to labor in the Ziff vineyards, and I find the present Web only approach to the PC Magazine franchise somewhat unsettling. But I am an addled goose, and I put away my concerns and dived into a Bing review here garnished with 4.5 spheres. I rate by geese, but spheres with red ink are okay even though these look like bing cherries.

The full review includes a useful slide show. The writer summarizes some queries and then offered what I found a useful comment:

Bing’s most effective tool for bringing you info directly from the results page is its rollover page preview. Hovering the cursor to the right edge of any Web result brings up a small window containing text from the linked page. It can even find relevant deep links within that page. It’s great for getting a peek at pages that are relevant, and for helping avoid clicking through to pages that aren’t. When your mouse is anywhere on top of a result, a vertical rule shows up at its right edge to visually clue you that this preview is available. It’s one of those features that you quickly get used to and come to expect. I now find myself missing it on Google search results pages.

The review is a long one and covers interface, travel, maps, images, and some miscellaneous features such as news. I thought news was pretty important, but that’s my age interfering with my understanding.

Bottomline: the reviewer finds Bing useful. If you want a thorough walk through of the Microsoft system, this is the place to start.

My tests of features surfaced some annoyances which are not included in this write up. Perhaps I will jot them down, but I am not too wired into the Web search scene. I do know that Google enjoys a 60 to 70 percent market share. Microsoft has a more modest share. If PCMag.com’s view set fire to its readership, Bing might narrow the gap a bit.

Stephen Arnold, June 3, 2009

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Microsoft, News, Online (general), Search

Comments

Comments are closed.

Search the site
Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive

Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.