Microsoft‘s Bing search engine may not be on Google’s level, but it’s an effective tool that’s gaining marketshare. Today’s rollout of new entertainment features is only going to continue that forward momentum.
This new release is focused on entertainment, by which Microsoft means music, games, TV, and movies (not politics–missed opportunity for some satirical zingers there, Microsoft). You’ll notice that most of these new features are designed to keep you on the Bing site rather than sending you off to iTunes, Hulu, Fandango, or AddictingGames. That’s convenient, sure, but it also lets Microsoft sell more ad impressions on Bing. It’s not a bad plan–simpler for consumers, lucrative for Microsoft.
Let’s go through those four, one by one.
Music: Microsoft is really pushing Zune hard lately, with the underrated service and software coming to both the Xbox and upcoming Windows Phone 7 hardware. Now Bing is the latest beneficiary of Zune, with the entire 5-million-song-strong catalog available for free streaming. Search for an artist, album, or song, and you’ll be able to stream it, for free, right in the browser.
That’s not without limitations, of course: You can only stream each song once, with the length reduced to a 30-second clip after that. Bing will also give you the option to buy the song from Zune, iTunes, or Amazon.
There are some other nice music additions, including lyrics, photos, videos, and tour dates for any artist search. You’ll find all of that nice information in a streamlined results page, rather than scattered throughout regular web search results.
