Bing Releases iPhone App (and It's Better Than Google's)
Bing has finally and smartly released a mobile search app for the iPhone. And it’s pretty durn sweet, if you ask me.
The homepage of the app features a daily photo with hotspots, just like going to Bing.com on a desktop browser. You can navigate the app horizontally or landscape, and the user interface is well-designed.
My favorite part is the Map, which is so smooth. When you zoom in or out, or navigate in any direction, it will hold your current place and then do this fade-in thing that’s quite nice. It’s also in line with the new direction Bing Maps is going on the desktop browser version.
You can easily search by voice, which is a necessity when you’re on the go – or simply don’t feel like typing on a small device.
But there’s one thing that I didn’t love. When I searched for coffee, it returned local results – but not the closest ones to my current location.
Still, other searches bring you exactly what you’re looking for – such as the weather:
This is an area where Bing has Google beat. The UI is much nicer, the shortcuts on the homepage are sweet. Navigation is a breeze and maps are in the same app as search.
While Bing has already released apps for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry Curve and Storm, this was a crucial move. The mobile internet market cannot be ignored – and despite the iPhone being a competitor in so many ways – it has a lot of users and has been a game changer for mobile search. It’s nice to see Bing truly embrace the spirit of the iPhone with such a gorgeous app.