Bing goes more visual with search and results

InternetNews | at | by Mike

Microsoft previewed some new enhancements to its Bing search engine as part of its drive to break out of third place and become a serious contender to Google in search.

The software giant also played down -- though it didn't deny -- talk of a controversial anti-Google content deal rumored to be in the works with media conglomerate News

Much of the demos here today at Microsoft's San Francisco offices focused on improvements to Bing Maps. A dazzling demonstration of Bing's mapping features, currently in beta, showed a smooth, speedy user experience that zoomed from a pedestrian-level view -- dubbed Streetside -- to a bird's-eye view, and back.