Wait! Verizon? Yes, you heard me correctly. If you are not running a Verizon phone, you cannot load this amazing app at this point in time. One of the things I have always loved about Bing is the visual showcase you get every time you start the app. You are always presented with some graphically stunning view that you get to try to identify and puzzle over. Well, the mobile app leaves nothing lacking there, at least if you run it from the app, as opposed to running the widget. The app homepage features the Bing image of the day, complete with clickable hotspots that you can explore and discover related trivia. Did you miss one of the latest images? Don’t worry; you can still swipe through up to 7 days’ worth of Bing images.
Image Searching
Are you a visual person? Try the image search feature that has endless scrolling results (Tip: this also works for any search result). Then easily swipe through image previews and click straight through to the image host site.
Voice Too
Note that Microsoft’s investments in voice work just as well. You can say anything to search on the Internet or on your phone, and if you keep it broad, it will automatically default to using your location to sort the answers. This view shows the widget at work.
Now, do you see the mic option on the homepage? Our investment in voice search continues in our Android App and works great for searches like map locations as well as web search. This works especially well when looking for “Instant answers” which give you quick and relevant answers for things like movies, stock quotes, flight status and local listings.
Just say “movies,” for a quick result of movie listings, theaters and show times nearby, or say the flight information you are looking for, we will show you the departure, arrival, and other relevant information such as traffic, weather, news, and hotels details.
Bing Maps
The Android app also has a pretty smooth mapping feature. First, Bing will automatically find your current location. You can then easily discover new places by category such as restaurants, banks, theaters and you can choose whether you want walking or driving directions. Swipe through each step of your directions, and check out how fast the map pans and zooms. For times when you only have one hand free and can’t pinch, there is the handy zoom-out button.
Of course, there’s standard stuff like local listing reviews, ratings and news as well. If you can, give it a try and let us know what you think. More details can be found in the Bing Community.