Bing Launches iPhone Mobile App Discovery - Apps Now Feature In Search Results
by Joe White
June 10, 2011
Bing has just announced a brand new feature, which users can access either in the official iPhone app or from "m.bing.com" in Safari for iOS. The feature, called "iPhone Mobile App Discovery," displays iOS applications alongside search results when users input keywords into Bing's search engine.
It's a handy feature, and definitely something users of the service will appreciate. As you can see in the above screenshot, applications are displayed in the search results list. While the app's icon and name are displayed alongside search results, touching the app brings up a more detailed page:
But, that's not all. As explained over at the Bing Community, over 50 other applications can be launched from within Bing's search engine:
Bing not only helps to find apps, but can also launch some of the installed apps directly from the app search results. If an App is not installed on your phone, when you click on the download link Bing takes you to download the app from the iTunes App Store. If the App is already installed and the developer has enabled the launch functionality, then it will launch automatically. For example, over 50 Apps such as Yelp, Facebook and IMDb can be launched directly from the Bing app search. Some of these apps even support deep launching with context (e.g. Yelp or IMDb).While the feature is working great for me in the Bing iPhone app, apps aren't currently showing over at the service's mobile website. However, iPhone Mobile App Discovery will likely hit "m.bing.com" soon, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, download the Bing iPhone app (it's currently available for free), and let us know your thoughts on the new feature in the comments.
