On your iPad’s Safari Web Browser which has a inbuilt search bar, you now have the option of setting Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine. Mac News World posted on Thursday, “Recently, Microsoft put the finishing touches on its Bing app for iPad.”
One of the more interesting features built into Bing’s integrated browser is the ability to circle to search. Along the top of any Web page, you’ll find a set of icons — one for emailing/copying the link, one for highlighting the term, a reload button, back and forward toggles and a magnifying glass. The magnifying glass is a search feature that lets you select a word or term with which to perform a new search. You can draw a circle around the text (kind of like drawing a circle in MS Paint, actually), then click what’s inside it, and suddenly that term is plugged into the text box, no copy/paste required.
Habits die hard and so it might be nearly impossible for Bing to overtake Google on the desktop, but the mobile device represents a new arena and has the potential for new habits to form. If you’re looking for a search app but think Google’s interface feels a little uncomfortable, and you want one that’s focused more closely on search rather than search plus a dozen other services Google offers, Bing might be worth a glance.
If you type terms into the text bar in the upper-left corner of Bing’s home interface you will be started off on a general search.
When you change the iPad to landscape view, the result page offers new options in the sidebar. The search can be narrowed to the engine’s News, Shopping, Local or Images sections. You will also be able to view your search history and a list of related searches.
Commenting on the News on the Bing app on the iPad, Paul Hartsock of Mac News World
Bing for iPad, is no different from Bing for the PC and you are treated to the search engine’s usual gallery of high resolution photography complete with informational tidbits. Not that it has a bearing on what you actually search for but it counts as a free visual treat and a storehouse of fun facts.
The useful functions are located in the top and bottom margins. The search term bar, icons for a voice search along with a list of specific search categories and a settings menu is along the top margin.
You will find Weather, News, Maps, Movies, Trends and Finance on the bottom margin.
says, “It is good-looking and each section gets its own row of stories that can be scrolled through with a swipe.” However, he has a grouse that the stories are presented as a single news source from sites like CNN and the AP and not as news bundles like Google News or Bing’s desktop news pages.
Comparison between Google’s search app for iPad and Bing’s search app for the iPad:
Unlike the Google app, Bing does not offer to sign a user in from the interface. This is so because the Google search app has links to other services like email and calendar, which are highly personal. Bing’s focus is on search
One of the more interesting features built into Bing’s integrated browser is the ability to circle to search. Along the top of any Web page, you’ll find a set of icons — one for emailing/copying the link, one for highlighting the term, a reload button, back and forward toggles and a magnifying glass. The magnifying glass is a search feature that lets you select a word or term with which to perform a new search. You can draw a circle around the text (kind of like drawing a circle in MS Paint, actually), then click what’s inside it, and suddenly that term is plugged into the text box, no copy/paste required.
Habits die hard and so it might be nearly impossible for Bing to overtake Google on the desktop, but the mobile device represents a new arena and has the potential for new habits to form. If you’re looking for a search app but think Google’s interface feels a little uncomfortable, and you want one that’s focused more closely on search rather than search plus a dozen other services Google offers, Bing might be worth a glance.