Microsoft Bing Adds Visual Search

Software giant Microsoft unveiled "visual search" to your search engine Bing to try to continue to distinguish itself from market leader Google.

The new feature will enable users to navigate through the results with images instead of text.

Visual search initially focus on four main areas: tourism, health, leisure and shopping.

"The whole concept is that the research will change," said Yusuf Mehdi Microsoft.

"There will be a more graphic way people look, which rotates so that the search for people," said Mehdi, president of the company's senior vice president of online services.

'Find match'

Microsoft unveiled the beta or test version of the function of TechCrunch 50, a conference will be held in San Francisco start-ups present their ideas to investors.

"Competition breeds innovation, and this nice little battle between Google and Microsoft are having a great benefit to consumers," said the investor Ron Conway, who has put money into Google, PayPal and AskJeeves.

Bing Microsoft launched in May, and to encourage improvements in the Google "10 blue links", with activities such as shopping and travel.

New figures from analysts Nielsen Net revealed that the part of Microsoft Research U.S. rose to 10.7% in August, while Google remained dominant with 64.6%. Yahoo, second, used was 16% of searches.

In late July, Microsoft and Yahoo agreed to work together to better take on Google. It has yet to pass anti-trust investigation.

At launch, said Microsoft Visual Search allows users to perform certain queries faster than the "conventional image search" offered by rival Google and other search engines.

In a blog, said the company made the study found that consumers are able to manage the results with the images of 20% faster than the text-only results.

"It's like looking through a large online catalog," said Microsoft.

As users enter keywords, a link at the top of the first results page allows users to "see" what Bing has found.

Clicking the link displays a gallery of related images.

"Money Maker"

Currently, only a limited number of subjects to return a visual display. Those in the middle of the popular classes, such as entertainment, celebrities, shopping and sports.

"I think that in these specific cases, that will work well and are in areas with a lot of money," Don Dodge, the development of Microsoft said the commercial director BBC News.

"There are a lot of money on advertising for shopping, travel, etc.. So not only is a better user experience, but it is a better business model too," said Dodge.

While the goal of start-ups TechCrunch conference coming to get their ideas judged by a panel of experts, Microsoft has agreed to get the group rate of its new product.

"This is a good model, but must be done in areas where the user with pictures to get what you're looking for," said Yossi waterfront, known as an angel investor to invest in software, energy, and moving companies .

The panel was also jokingly asked if he would be interested in investing in the product and the company behind it.

"Bing has a real talent, according to what you think of Microsoft, is a surprise," said Jason Hirschhorn, chief technology officer of MySpace.com.

"Brand and the user interface of its fun and tactile. Yusuf, you have my control," he joked.

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