Microsoft on Thursday unveiled a new Web search engine, Bing, designed to intuitively understand what people are seeking on the Internet and challenge online king Google.
The US software colossus described Bing as a “Decision Engine” and said it will be deployed worldwide at Bing.com by Wednesday.
Bing’s launch comes in the wake of Google and Yahoo announcing refinements to their search services and the launch of a Wolfram Alpha query engine that delivers answers instead of lists of Web sites.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find,” Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said. “When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web.”
Bing relies predominately on algorithms and key words to provide results for online searches but has infused some semantic technology that deduces intended meanings of phrases, Microsoft said.
“The Bing service is a first step,” said Whitney Burk, director of communications for Bing. “We still have plenty of work to do and we are excited to get it out into the wild next week.”
Bing will replace MSN Live Search, which has languished in a distant third place behind market-leading Google and second-place Yahoo.
Bing is vastly better than Microsoft’s Live but doesn’t outshine Google when it comes to general Internet search, said analyst Matt Rosoff of private firm Directions On Microsoft.
“They want to give you more information without having to click through to a lot of other sites,” said Rosoff, who has used Bing during the past month as part of a Microsoft test program. “I like it, but I don’t think it will get me to switch from Google entirely. They are not naive to the scope of the challenge. They are going to keep throwing money at it for awhile.”
The search engine is aimed at online shoppers and will initially focus on helping people make buying decisions, plan trips, research health matters or find local businesses.
For example, people using Bing to shop online will automatically be provided product reviews and those planning trips will get information regarding travel bargains.
Bing gives Microsoft “a leg up” on competitors but is more likely to lure users from Yahoo because “Google is too much of a habit for everyone,” Forrester analyst Shar VanBoskirk said in a blog post.
“Microsoft’s Bing will change the face of search,” VanBoskirk wrote. “Bing focuses on delivering answers, not Web pages.”
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