Bing Blogs

Bing Blogs

This is a place devoted to giving you deeper insight
into the news, trends, people and technology behind Bing.

Search Blog — Jul 2009

Jul

29

20 09

Rooms for less with Bing Travel’s Hotel...

With Labor Day weekend fast approaching, perhaps you’re thinking about a quick trip to Vegas. Airfares aren’t too expensive, but the cost of a hotel room may give you second thoughts, especially since the best properties tend to get up booked up during holiday weekends. Fortunately, Bing Travel has created an intelligent tool to help you figure out whether the hotel rate you’re being offered is a deal or not. Unlike the Price Predictor , the Hotel Rate Indicator doesn’t project whether the cost of a room will go up or down on the dates you want to stay; instead, it compares the current rates to past rates for that hotel, helping you buy with confidence. Here’s how it works. From Bing Travel , search hotels in Las Vegas for your dates. On the search results page, you can filter by the number of stars, amenities, brand or geographical location. Then, click “open map” to see a visual layout of the available hotels for your selections: In this example (the search was conducted on July 27), the yellow coloring shows that most of the hotels on the Strip have an “average rate” for Labor Day weekend. Mouse over each property... Read More With Labor Day weekend fast approaching, perhaps you’re thinking about a quick trip to Vegas. Airfares aren’t too expensive, but the cost of a hotel room may give you second thoughts, especially since the best properties tend to get up booked up during holiday weekends. Fortunately, Bing Travel has created an intelligent tool to help you figure out whether the hotel rate you’re being offered is a deal or not. Unlike the Price Predictor , the Hotel Rate Indicator doesn’t project whether the cost of a room will go up or down on the dates you want to stay; instead, it compares... Read More
Jul

29

20 09

Exciting Times for Bing and Yahoo!

By now you have probably seen the exciting news about our agreement with Yahoo!. We are totally fired up to be partnering with such a great set of folks, and look forward to seeing what we can achieve for customers by working together to bring a strong #2 into the search space. This is great news for Bing and is a great accelerator to the work we are already doing. The scale Bing will get through this agreement will enable us to learn, experiment and innovate faster for consumers and advertisers. The result will be more relevant search results and advertising, which is great for everyone. Working with Yahoo! we will be able to do so much to advance the search experience, and we cannot wait to see the partnership come to life. For more info you can check out Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz’s blog post , visit our joint website or check out this twitpic of some of the festivities today. Adam Sohn, Director, Bing Read More By now you have probably seen the exciting news about our agreement with Yahoo!. We are totally fired up to be partnering with such a great set of folks, and look forward to seeing what we can achieve for customers by working together to bring a strong #2 into the search space. This is great news for Bing and is a great accelerator to the work we are already doing. The scale Bing will get through this agreement will enable us to learn, experiment and innovate faster for consumers and advertisers. The result will be more relevant search results and advertising, which is great for everyone. Working... Read More
Jul

27

20 09

Researching With Bing Reference

Through our Powerset division , Bing has access to semantically indexed Wikipedia content to help with “reference” searches when people are looking for information about a given entity (person, place or thing) such as Albert Einstein or TechCrunch . According to our research, reference search sessions are typically the most time- and query-intensive, averaging more than 9 minutes in length and more than 6 queries per session before someone finds the information they need. Bing is here to help with what we call our Reference vertical. The easiest way to find the Reference vertical within Bing is to look for the Wikipedia result in Bing’s algorithmic listings. Each one of those results has an “Enhanced View” link (see below) that will take you to the that entity’s Wikipedia page, within the Bing Reference vertical. Some queries will trigger a “Reference” Quick Tab in the Explore Pane . Click “Reference” and you will land on the best Wikipedia page for that query. Other queries that trigger the Reference vertical include Facebook , Sikhism , and squirrel monkey , to name a few. Sometimes, a web query will... Read More Through our Powerset division , Bing has access to semantically indexed Wikipedia content to help with “reference” searches when people are looking for information about a given entity (person, place or thing) such as Albert Einstein or TechCrunch . According to our research, reference search sessions are typically the most time- and query-intensive, averaging more than 9 minutes in length and more than 6 queries per session before someone finds the information they need. Bing is here to help with what we call our Reference vertical. The easiest way to find the Reference vertical... Read More
Jul

24

20 09

3 Million Opinions Helping You to Decide...

One part of Bing shopping that customers find very useful are all of the product reviews we’ve gathered. There are over 3 million reviews from all over the web from people just like you that we combine and provide in one place. We hope this makes finding the product that suits you best much faster and easier. And how could that many personal opinions (and growing) be wrong? The best thing about Bing shopping’s user reviews are how they are categorized. We do what we call “opinion indexing” which is a fancy term for “extracting opinions” which is a fancy term for, well, finding exactly what you want to know about product by using some computer science to find and present expert reviews to you at the precise time you are trying to make a purchase decision. Bringing the unique product features details and the details on how users have then rated or ranked what they like or dislike (sometimes down to the individual product feature level), allows you to really get a sense for the product before you make a buying decision. For example, if I need a super-simple, easy-to-use MP3 player for my daily workout, I can sort by “ease of use” and... Read More One part of Bing shopping that customers find very useful are all of the product reviews we’ve gathered. There are over 3 million reviews from all over the web from people just like you that we combine and provide in one place. We hope this makes finding the product that suits you best much faster and easier. And how could that many personal opinions (and growing) be wrong? The best thing about Bing shopping’s user reviews are how they are categorized. We do what we call “opinion indexing” which is a fancy term for “extracting opinions” which is a fancy term... Read More
Jul

24

20 09

Check out the Binging Jingles (so far)

We are through the first week of the Bing Jingle contest, and it’s time to show off the entries that have been submitted so far. We’ve seen ballads, clever use of the Bingtones, a poem, and some songs that baffled us a bit and we’ve loved each and every entry in their own special way. Check them out and let us know which ones YOU like best: (Please visit the site to view this video) There is still time to enter, so practice your pitch, grab a camera, and make a Bing Jingle. It might just win you a $500 gift cheque . -The Bing Interns Read More We are through the first week of the Bing Jingle contest, and it’s time to show off the entries that have been submitted so far. We’ve seen ballads, clever use of the Bingtones, a poem, and some songs that baffled us a bit and we’ve loved each and every entry in their own special way. Check them out and let us know which ones YOU like best: (Please visit the site to view this video) There is still time to enter, so practice your pitch, grab a camera, and make a Bing Jingle. It might just win you a $500 gift cheque . -The Bing Interns Read More
Jul

23

20 09

Lifting the hood on the Bing Travel Price...

One of the coolest things we've seen since the Bing launch is the response to Bing Travel. Customers continue to explore the site and use all the tools we've built to help make better travel decisions quickly, and get on with their trips. We’d like to give you a quick tour of one of the more intelligent tools that makes Bing an effective decision engine: our Price Predictor. The Price Predictor helps you answer the key question of when’s the right time to book your airline tickets. Based on more than 175 billion (and counting!) airfare observations, using real pricing and availability information, the Price Predictor helps you decide whether you should buy now or wait. Let’s see how it works using a sample search (conducted on July 10). From the Bing Travel homepage, enter your cities and dates, and click “search flights.” On the next screen, you’ll see results with specific itineraries, and to the left, an arrow with our buying recommendation. In this example, the Price Predictor for a flight from Los Angeles to Denver recommended that you buy the listed fare, with a 79% confidence rate that fares would rise $50 or more over the next... Read More One of the coolest things we've seen since the Bing launch is the response to Bing Travel. Customers continue to explore the site and use all the tools we've built to help make better travel decisions quickly, and get on with their trips. We’d like to give you a quick tour of one of the more intelligent tools that makes Bing an effective decision engine: our Price Predictor. The Price Predictor helps you answer the key question of when’s the right time to book your airline tickets. Based on more than 175 billion (and counting!) airfare observations, using real pricing and availability... Read More
Jul

23

20 09

Bing Across America

Somehow the Bing team ended up spread practically equidistant across the country tonight, so we thought we should warn all of you. First, here at home, Bing is sponsoring an epic Ping Pong tourney at the sold-out Tech Flash event where VCs, startups, journalists and people who like BBQ will all congregate and be merry. The Bing team (Stefan and Aya) will live broadcast from the event starting at 5pm Pacific (if only for a few minutes) and their better halves (Melissa and Kristin) will be slinging demos at the demo booth. Second, Betsy is out in Chicago at BlogHer . There are no events tonight, but I’m guessing she’ll be in the Sheraton’s bar with someone from TechSmith. Check @baoki on the Twitter to see where she’s at and buy her lots of tonic water. Last, on the east coast, Pedro and Theo are in the “ATL” spreading the Bing word to MS employees who are gathered from across the world. They are at the Hard Rock Café, but it isn’t open to the public, so we’ll have them send out a few tweets when that gig gets going. There – now you know where we’ll be and thus where to stalk/avoid. We’ll be twittering from... Read More Somehow the Bing team ended up spread practically equidistant across the country tonight, so we thought we should warn all of you. First, here at home, Bing is sponsoring an epic Ping Pong tourney at the sold-out Tech Flash event where VCs, startups, journalists and people who like BBQ will all congregate and be merry. The Bing team (Stefan and Aya) will live broadcast from the event starting at 5pm Pacific (if only for a few minutes) and their better halves (Melissa and Kristin) will be slinging demos at the demo booth. Second, Betsy is out in Chicago at BlogHer . There are no events tonight... Read More
Jul

22

20 09

Bing Home Page Photo Contest Finals! GO...

We are in the final round of voting for the Bing Home Page Photo Contest ! Thousands of amazing photos have been submitted and voted for, which has made it very difficult to limit ourselves to only 8 finalists. During the selection process we looked for photos that would draw people in, tell a story and make you want to find out more. And of course, they had to work within the confines of the page and that adhere to the official guidelines . Thank you to everyone that has participated this far! It has been amazing to see all of the creativity and talent of the community. Here are the amazing 8 finalists , one of which will make it to the Bing Home page on August 3rd: The winner will be determined by the total number of votes. Go see, vote for, and share your favorite photo ! Voting will close end of day, July 26 th . The winner will be announced on July 27th and all of the top photos and photographers will be featured on our Facebook page. The winning photo will be showcased on the Bing Homepage on August 3 rd for one whole day! We can’t wait to see which one you’ll... Read More We are in the final round of voting for the Bing Home Page Photo Contest ! Thousands of amazing photos have been submitted and voted for, which has made it very difficult to limit ourselves to only 8 finalists. During the selection process we looked for photos that would draw people in, tell a story and make you want to find out more. And of course, they had to work within the confines of the page and that adhere to the official guidelines . Thank you to everyone that has participated this far! It has been amazing to see all of the creativity and talent of the community. Here are the amazing... Read More
Jul

22

20 09

Fill a Backpack with Bing cashback

We are nearly halfway through summer, and soon parents and students will start thinking about the all-important task of back-to-school shopping. We know many of you will be working hard to stretch your dollars this year so you can still get everything you or your family needs -- and a few things you just really want. Bing is here to help! Knowing you’d probably rather not spend your waning summer days digging for deals inside the mall, we’re giving away not one, but SEVEN $500 Visa cash cards, each in cool Bing backpacks to help you get your back-to-school shopping done with just a bit less stress. The lucky winners can use their cash card to take care of all their back-to-school shopping – and what better place to find great deals than on Bing Shopping and Bing cashback ! Starting July 23 on Twitter, @bingcashback will be hosting a 7-day Bing cashback Twitter Sweepstakes. The contest runs each weekday until July 31. Each weekday, we will tweet a new Bing cashback- trivia question. Whoever @replies with the right answer within one hour becomes eligible to win.* The answers to each of our trivia questions will be discoverable by using Bing, specifically Bing Shopping... Read More We are nearly halfway through summer, and soon parents and students will start thinking about the all-important task of back-to-school shopping. We know many of you will be working hard to stretch your dollars this year so you can still get everything you or your family needs -- and a few things you just really want. Bing is here to help! Knowing you’d probably rather not spend your waning summer days digging for deals inside the mall, we’re giving away not one, but SEVEN $500 Visa cash cards, each in cool Bing backpacks to help you get your back-to-school shopping done with just a... Read More
Jul

20

20 09

Blogher or Bust

Bing is headed to Chicago to attend Blogher ‘09 . We are really looking forward to spending time with a dynamic group of more than 1,400 women bloggers from across the country and from every corner of the blogosphere. With all the walking and talking that will be taking place at Blogher, we thought you may need a few minutes to relax and unwind with complementary micro-massages and micro-makeup retouches. Please come join us and the Microsoft Office team in the MicroSpa located on the second floor in the Missouri Room at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. We will also have plush places to relax, blog, Tweet or check out the latest tech from Microsoft Office and Bing . If your laptop starts to sputter or spark, we'll have tech services present to assist. And finally, what is a spa without decadent refreshments? Fruits, cheeses, pastries, petit-fours, sparkling wine - join us and indulge! Our Bing cashback partner Sephora will also be giving away a very cool Sephora Natural Beauty Sample Pack when you sign up for a MicroSpa treatment. Fifteen minute massage appointments are booking up fast, so email us before space fills up. There will be a lot of activity taking... Read More Bing is headed to Chicago to attend Blogher ‘09 . We are really looking forward to spending time with a dynamic group of more than 1,400 women bloggers from across the country and from every corner of the blogosphere. With all the walking and talking that will be taking place at Blogher, we thought you may need a few minutes to relax and unwind with complementary micro-massages and micro-makeup retouches. Please come join us and the Microsoft Office team in the MicroSpa located on the second floor in the Missouri Room at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. We will also have plush... Read More