We’re pretty up on the iPhone’s Bing app; its ability to combine the useful functions of several different stand-alone apps earned it a spot on our 23 Essential Apps list for the iPhone earlier this year.
But Microsoft is apparently even more ambitious: they’ve just updated Bing with some new abilities — including location-based reminders, a Google Maps Street View-like feature and more — to the point where it seems as if Microsoft is trying to turn Bing into some kind of uber-app. The whole thing’s also been given a facelift, and the results pages are less cluttered (even though the front page still needs work). It’s worth a download, even if, at the very least, just to gawk at its application of technology. Here’s a list of all the new stuff:
- Streetside is similar to Google’s Streets View, but with a twist, as users can scroll streets seamlessly in either direction, with info popping up about buildings as they pass by. Availability by city looks very limited right now though.
- Users can set up location-based reminders through their Windows Live ID.
- Real-time public transportation transit times are now available for 11 North American cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco (of course), Boston, Vancouver, B.C. and others.
- Check-in functions for Foursquare and Facebook have been added.
- The new Plans function connects through Facebook and lets users plan the evening’s (or morning’s, I suppose) entertainment — including time, venue, and participants — then shares the whole thing on Facebook and lets participants opt in or out.
- Restaurant search results now include ratings and price range.
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
