The Bing search application for iPhone just got a pretty hefty update, now allowing you to connect to Twitter and Facebook (so you can search updates as well as share results), and a new visual scanning feature using the camera, not unlike Google Goggles. The irony is, Google Goggles isn’t on iPhone yet, so Microsoft is getting a head start. Bing for iPhone was introduced in December with little reason to switch from Google, but with these two new features, it’s offering something pretty unique.
Microsoft just launched Windows Live Messenger for iPhone this week – clearly they want to tap some of the new iPhone 4 owners and remind them that hey, Windows is cool too, y’know. Even without the app, Bing will be baked into the iOS 4 as a search option. The scanning function applies to barcodes, books, video games, CDs, and DVDs, and launches into pertinent shopping, biographical, and review information. Facebook and Twitter integration are pretty nice, and not something we see too much of in mobile search. I’m curious to see how Microsoft’s search stacks up against Google’s in the long run, especially considering the twisted web of relationships between their and Apple’s respective mobile platforms and software.
[via Bing]
Download Bing for iPhone (Free) [iTunes Link]