New Google Image Search

Google has made one of the biggest changes in its search interface by updating Google Image Search. From now on, the image search results will be displayed in a different way. The new interface is very similar to that of Microsoft Bing.

In the first place, Google Image Search results will be bigger. If we hover over the image we will be able to see a larger preview.

Then, if we click the link to see the image in its context, Google Image Search layout will not be on top but on the right of the screen. Also, the small preview of the image will be much larger (and, depending on the image, it can even be displayed in full size).

Finally, within Google Image Search innovations, there will be many more search results. Instead of having to move to other pages, we will be able to see more and more results as we scroll down the same page.

This new interface will be made available little by little, as Google updates its servers. On the other hand, Google Image Search’s new interface will not be available for all browsers. First, it will be available for Internet Explorer 7 and 8, SafariGoogle Chrome and Mozilla Firefox 3.

It is possible to use Bing on your iPhone or iPod Touch

As we’ve known for quite some time, Microsoft was seriously interested in extending its Bing navigator and Windows Live Messenger for Apple’s portable devices (for iPod as well as for iPhone). The interesting news for the users of these devices and for those who prefer Microsoft’s search engine over Google’s, is that it was moved forward the launch of at least one of these applications and now it is possible to use Bing on Apple mobiles.

This important initiative from the Redmond Company, allows us to use the famous search engine Bing directly on the mobile screen and with the same functionality as in the computer.Moreover, as we got used by Bing.com, it is also displayed on the device screen with the “daily image” as the background.

Being used from an iPhone or an iPod, one of the main advantages of its use in portable devices is that the application allows us to use the voice recognition technology to start a search (although it only recognizes words in English at the moment, it is expected that after its use and popularity increase, new languages will be added). The application also allows the use, of course, of the alphanumeric touch keyboard of the device to search.

One of the standout features by the thousand users that already use this Bing application on their iPods or iPhones is that it can detect our location, allowing us to navigate though maps and search news, images, addresses and shops that are near from where we are.

Another important thing to point out about the mobile Bing is that it offers the possibility to search roads between one point and the other, choosing different alternatives like: the shortest route, the fastest, the one with less traffic (only available on the US at the moment), etc.

As regards the technical parts that makes it easy to use and navigate through the maps using the device, Microsoft highlighted that the application resorts to the SeaDragon technology power to achieve really fluent transactions when moving maps and images or when zooming them, avoiding the annoying loading “frame by frame” (as it happens with Google Maps).

It seems that the complementarity of applications among portable devices and computers is a matter that big companies are taking very seriously to keep them alive on the market. Microsoft and Apple, two of the companies that in other markets seem far way, here they are giving strong steps, and they were able to show that with this launch, which is expected to be the first of many other applications.

Yahoo switches to Bing search engine

What were initially juicy offers on behalf of Microsoft to acquire Yahoo! -though no deal was ever made- an agreement was finally reached between the two companies in order to fight the Google effect. Yahoo´s search engine steps asides and welcomes Microsoft´s own search engine: Bing, which will develop and offer publicity services, and of the other hand will provide content for Yahoo´s homepage.

The news was announced in a press conference by Yahoo!´s CEO Carol Bartz and Steve Ballmer from Microsoft, who stated their plan to compete with Google and benefit from the merge as well. In this way, their bet seems simple yet promising. They manage to seek a large-scale movement regarding web traffic, ads and services.

As for Yahoo!, this agreement outlines their homepage revamp strategy.

As some of you may recall, last week Yahoo! dropped its concept of content service providers, thus providing more useful services to Yahoo! users. For this reason, this alliance was made to provider Yahoo! users a more significant value- add feature, according to CEO Carol Bartz.

Microsoft in particular, provides Yahoo! with its own powerful search engine called Bing. MS improved and re-launch Bing over the years, managing to reach the third place in the search engine battle. Yahoo! Search will use Bing for 10 years now, and will manage ad sales (keeping 88% of the profit) and will also provide content for its portal.

Being a commercial-strategic merge, spokespersons of both companies made sure this agreement “offers an alternative to advertisers so they don´t feel obliged towards a company that dominates more than 70% of web searches”.

From the user viewpoint, the merger with Bing will bring an excellent choice when it comes to customizing Yahoo´s profiles and performing more accurate searches –without exiting the current page.

This is, without a doubt, a business strategy that will enables Microsoft and Yahoo! to join forces and stand up against Google´s dominating search and internet ads market.