Microsoft today announced changes to its Bing search application for Windows Phone 8 devices. The refreshed app gets a new user interface as well as new features.
The new results page slims down from four categories to just three (web, images, video), which are accessed by swiping from side to side. Microsoft has reworked the results that are delivered with each search to better match these new categories, and will put most of the information under the first (web) category. The images and video categories also get infinite scrolling. Bing for WP8 now incorporates Microsoft’s Instant Answers feature, which delivers information such as traffic, flight status, and exchange rates. Microsoft said that the new search app brings the Snapshot feature (already available in other markets) to U.S. users of WP8 devices. Snapshot provides at-a-glance information about people, places, or things.
According to Microsoft, Bing is also faster and uses less data to return search results. The new Bing Search for Windows Phone 8 will be rolled out slowly to all U.S. users over the coming weeks, with other markets to follow.
