Bing Updates Features for Mobile Users

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Sporting a new look for fall, Microsoft demonstrated new and updated features aimed at making its Bing search engine technologies more social, especially for mobile users, at its Bing Search Summit in San Francisco Wednesday.

High on the list of services that business professionals need: food.

First off, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has updated its Bing apps for iPhone and Android devices. Among the additions for mobile users are the ability to choose restaurants for dine in or take out via integration with the OpenTable and Grubhub, reservations and ordering services.

“When you get to your destination, check-in with Bing and simultaneously update your Facebook, Foursquare, and Windows Live Messenger status,” Andy Chu, director product management on the Bing for Mobile team, said in a post to the Bing Community blog. Users will also be able to use a new AutoSuggest feature.

The Bing for Mobile iPhone App is available from Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store.

Meanwhile, an update to Bing on desktops will let users shop for tickets to events via FanSnap — including the ability to see venue maps as well as the view from the seats, which is planned to roll out over the next month or so, according to a second post to the Bing Community blog .

A coming update to Bing Streetside will also provide virtual walkthroughs through streets but also 360-degree panoramic views of buildings — such as restaurants — on the inside. That update will take “weeks and months” to roll out and, currently, it is only supported on desktop Bing.

Additional new and updated features include the ability for Bing users see how many of their Facebook friends “liked” a particular search result.

“Whether you’re choosing a vacation destination, picking a movie to watch, or searching for laptop reviews, Bing incorporates information from your social network to help you choose the best answer to your query,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an e-mail to InternetNews.com.

Microsoft had a similar update last spring.

Stuart J. Johnston is a contributing writer at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @stuartj1000.