Microsoft has finally come up with a search engine that can compete with Google, said Rafe Needleman in CNET News. The newly unveiled Bing—a "rebranded and rebuilt" version of Live Search available to the public next week—is "a solid improvement, and it beats Google in important areas." For one thing, Bing’s presentation is "far superior," in part because it helps users save time by giving them a window where they can see an excerpt from each item in their search results.
That won't be enough to make Bing replace Google as the generic word for Web search, said Eric Auchard in Britain's The Guardian. "Many of the features Bing incorporates have been tried by smaller Web search providers and failed to make a dent" in Google's search-audience share. Microsoft will never build a Google killer until it can make it's search engine an "all-purpose tool" that helps users of Outlook, Office, and Explorer find the emails, documents, and Web pages they use every day.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
EastEnders at 40: are soaps still relevant?Talking Point Albert Square's residents are celebrating, but falling viewer figures have fans worried the soap bubble has burst
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
-
Why Spain's economy is boomingThe Explainer Immigration, tourism and cheap energy driving best growth figures in Europe
